Poetic (and Anthropomorphic) 19th Century Wooden Bootjack with Hanging Hole Worn Through antique wrought iron --and I especially love the

--and I especially love the hand-drawn elements in this one

and travelers (and the prototype of Father Christmas)--is especially popular in Eastern Orthodox icons

orange and blue paint to my eye is just perfect

or nothing

Poetic (and Anthropomorphic) 19th Century Wooden Bootjack with Hanging Hole Worn Through antique wrought iron --and I especially love theFound in southern Maine this week, I think this is really beautiful, and quite poetic, too. It is a 19th century bootjack, which was used so much that the hanging hole at the narrow end wore all the way through, leaving that open curve. I love the primitive elegance of the resulting form, which also reads like a body, arms (or open mouth, or claw) extending from one end, legs from the other. And turn it over, there's a face! The wood itself shows a