Description
A Black Forest fruitwood carving of a cat in a boot, carved with a cat with inlaid glass eyes resting in the mouth of an ankle boot while the tips of his paws and tail peep out from the open toe of the boot, the boot stained black, the head hinged to form the lid. Swiss, circa 1890.
For similar examples, but with a pug or a pig, by Schweizer Holzschnitzereien see Arenski, Daniels and Daniels, ‘Swiss Carvings, The Art of the ‘Black Forest’ 1820-1940’, Woodbridge 2005; pp. 164 and 170, model number 12590.