Box with Relief-carved Lid

Folk artists and craftsmen make boxes for both functional and decorative reasons. An unknown artist created this piece in the late nineteenth century and decorated it with a pattern of leaves and symbols. The box’s interior is also decorated: the lid shows a print of two harness racers, while the base has a nostalgic scene of children playing in front of a large house. The heart, diamond, and spade designs on the lid suggest the box was designed to hold playing cards or poker chips.