Hand-carved Old Pine Weighted Pin (Knock Down? or Juggling Pin?) ferryboat and a hairline split extending

and a hairline split extending from it

and as I understand it represents a humorous variation on the popular loving cups of the time

5" across at base

and the angled top

I assume this lacquered papier mache box is early 20th century Japanese

Hand-carved Old Pine Weighted Pin (Knock Down? or Juggling Pin?) ferryboat and a hairline split extendingI've been finding myself attracted of late to objects that are all about form and materiality, and which beg to be arranged in relationship to other objects that are all about the same; this is a prime example a bit of a mystery, at least to me, but a beautiful and satisfying thing. Hand carved of pine, which has a acquired a wonderful warm dry patina, it is weighted at the bottom, so definitely not a masher, but rather I think either a very old