Featured If this doesn't have at least 100 years of patina I'll eat my socks!

My gravestone may read "died eating sock sushi".



Curious little nut crusher. Seems to be mostly pinned together with pins that look hand made and possibly repaired with pitch in places. The hinge is a primitive double pinned dowel arrangement so the doweling must have grooves in it to keep it in place. Almost looks like a sphinx caricature of somebody important who was regarded as a bit of a nut crusher. The head has pins around it so probably missing a hat / crown / religious headdress etc. I'll go out on a limb here and say 1750-1850 European origin.
Thoughts?
Data
12.5cm Long, 12cm High, 6.2cm Wide, 0.175Kg
Bowl OD 8.1cm, ID 4.4cm

 

what little i know about wood...and nails.....
these don't look that old..
i can't even guess at the ethnicity..

 

face reminds me a bit of Moai on Easter Island.

 

Anyone have any good sock recipes?

I have never seen one like this before, and have no idea where it could have been made.
The face is indeed somewhat reminiscent of Moai Kavakava, but I think that is all. The wood and the purpose are not like anything from Rapa Nui.

 

Yeah, I am goin with Komo on this one.
Wood being an organic substance, it will age in a hurry if you put it outside in the rain. Matter of fact disappears altogether in a year or 2.
Hand-made pins/dowels are never perfectly round as they are usually whittled with a knife.

 

The face reminds me of some tacky tourist "tribal" figures made in Indonesia.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-Pr...ive-Fiber-Hair-and-Skirt-/223243389622?_ul=IL


Usually unidentified, this motorcyclist version is attributed to the "Chiefly Company Ltd", and the tag is outstanding:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/2932658454...j8InWlMXI%2BfQ%3D%3D|ampid:PL_CLK|clp:2563228

 

Looks like the nutcracker figure had 'hair' too, I can see a few tufts sticking out here and there.

Since no one has come up with sock recipes yet, I'll see if I can find some.

 

Sock sushi it will have to be.

https://www.sushisocksbox.com/

 

Nail appears to be recently manufactured, as it has those rings you see in modern nails. I think it cant be any older that the 50s, sorry.

 

The patina is funny too - the same everywhere. If this was legitimately ancient it would have more color/wear on the spots where it was handled and came into contact with whatever it mashed up. If I had a new one I'd use it as a garlic clove peeler.

 

Here's a guess... a betel nut crusher .... that being it looks native made to me ...and that is just an answer being pulled out of my sock drawer....lol

 

Now where did I put my spicy sauce?
Think @Firemandk may have nailed it. Speaking of nails, the "rings" under a microscope are seen as grooves on one side and it looks like it's breaking apart from the bending. As for patina I guess I'll have to settle for 60-70 years.

 

I have never seen a betel nut crusher that was made in faux native style before. I have also never seen a flat betel nut crusher before.
Imo this is an export piece, made to cater for Western ideas of 'tribal' artifacts.

A betel nut crusher looks like a chisel with a nicely carved handle. Betel cutters look like cutters.

A few betel nut crushers from different regions.

Java:


Lombok:


Timor:


Sumatra:


Laos:

 

I was also wondering how it could crush much of anything. On a nut cracker, doesn't the top/pestle fit down into the mortar? On this object, it just sits on top, like a lid.

 

Yes, either that, or it works as a vise, or even a pair of pliers.

 

That's why I was thinking garlic.(LOL) A masher would be a good way to get the peel off of the clove.

 

The flat side of a butcher's knife is perfect for crushing garlic cloves, and the peel almost drops off. Much more sanitary too.

 

That's my usual MO, only I'm more of a cleaver gal. My Chinese cleaver is great for that. Also whacking open squash, when combined with a hammer.(LOL)

 

1990s Bombay Company…just kidding! It looks cool.