Featured Bakelite Egg With An Ivory Carved Dog Inside

I like buying little oddball items and this is one I found in the last couple months. I have no idea on this piece other than what they are made of.
Egg is bakelite (simichrome tested) and the dog appears to be ivory.
The dog is wearing a frilly circus type collar and looks like a French Bulldog to me.
Very small as you can see.
.25 item from an estate sale.
Anybody ever seen anything similar?

 

I'll grant you oddball. Maybe the dog & egg didn't start life together? Or maybe there was something like a carnival game where you paid to select an egg that might have something cheap inside or might have a little treasure? Complete speculation. Reminds me of the openable plastic eggs for filling with Easter treats, except much higher quality.

 

Dog looks more like bone.
Agree these may not have started together.

The egg may be a darning egg needle case

 

The egg is most likely a thimble case, and I see Schreger lines on my screen, so it looks like ivory to me - not particularly well carved, but it's a very cute little Frenchie...

~Cheryl

 

Boston bull terrier?

 

Maybe a better suggestion than Boston. This one is Celluloid:



Posted one looks like it's wearing a circus collar.

 

Surely that's a real dog, Bronwen!

Hard to tell what the carver intended, could be either - will say I've fallen in love with every Frenchie I've met, charming little dogs (Bostons are cute too)...

The pic below is of a friend's two Frenchies flanking her sister's Boston:



~Cheryl

 

You're right, I didn't look closely enough. It was one of those times when image that came up in search didn't go with link. I did find some Celluloid dogs that have a similar appearance, but of course that was the intention of using Celluloid to make them, that they would look like ivory.

 

Thanks, I believe you nailed it . It's small but it does fit a tiny thimble that I have. I found some numbers molded on the inside of the egg, 1560. I agree, it's not the best carving and was hard to tell at first what it was made of. I noticed the lines and the lack of holes associated with most bone pieces. Besides thimble cases, I did find a small egg with a rosary inside in my searches. But I think it's a thimble case.

 

You're referring to french ivory I would assume?

 

I have seen it called that, like 'French jet'. Do the French call them English ivory & English jet?

 

This is Celluloid, or one of the other patented materials that were similar:

 

"french ivory"

Because marketing people have always had a place in business.

 

French ivory is celluloid with the stripes in it; it vaguely looks like ivory. The little frenchie looks like the real deal. I'm a cat person but I'd have snagged that too.

 

Hi,
French Ivory was patented by JB Ash Company of Illinois in 1910. They had parallel wavy lines in business to 1930. After 1930 other companies started using the name. Now it it common usage for all kinds of celluloid.
greg

 

Did someone say Frenchie? Can't pass by an opportunity to show off a pic of my Ellie Bean!

 

Awwww.

 

Nice find - that one is a bit larger, and a much finer carving...

Oh my, she is just too cute! Does she talk a lot? My friend and her sis show those three busy pooches in obedience and agility, and they're very good at both...

~Cheryl