Curious Tiny Gilded Fish Head Vessel carved wooden deers Pencil marks on the underside

Pencil marks on the underside show some careful planning

Overall great antique condition with a terrific patina

I tend to lean toward the first reading

Happily it is signed and dated (very specifically

in the late 19th century

Curious Tiny Gilded Fish Head Vessel carved wooden deers Pencil marks on the undersideSo curious! And to my eye quite a little jewel of a thing. I know nothing about it or where it came from, but it looks to me perhaps to be made of porcelain, as there is a bit of white showing though in a couple of spots near the mouth and the weight and feel seems right. And certainly it appears that an actual fish head was used as a mold, as the detail is quite realistic. I am not at all sure of the age, and have not found another out there like it.