Book Shaped Old Carved Spruce Gum Box Penland 5" d x 4" tall

5" d x 4" tall

formed in the Miocene era 6-10 million years ago)

including for the fact that the cow balances quite well on the back of the horse (though not quite so much vice verse

based in or around Portland

and most of all the dramatic gesture of the central warrior captured mid-air as he leaps onto the horse of the cavalry soldier

Book Shaped Old Carved Spruce Gum Box Penland 5" d x 4" tallIt makes perfect sense that I would have found this one in Maine tagged as a "mystery box" but in fact a spruce gum box. Associated with logging and lumbering activities, spruce gum boxes, also known as gum books, were usually made from a solid piece of wood, as this one was, with a sliding opening at bottom. These were made by lumberman, typically as gifts for loved ones, most dating from 1850 1920, after which improved transportation allowed them to