Monday, February 20, 2017

A Treen Mystery Object

Chronica Domus
Photo: Chronica Domus

When I lived in Kent as a young girl, our house was situated opposite an ancient oak woodland. 'The Woods', as we called it, became an almost daily playground for my sisters and me.  We spent many happy hours larking about the stately trees, enjoying spring walks gathering wood anemones and bluebells, and playing in the knee-high piles of leaves that carpeted the woodland floor later in the autumn.

I delighted in finding plump acorns that had blown onto our property from our neighbor's enormous oak tree.  I viewed these as miniature works of natural art. Often, the acorns separated from their caps and magically took hold in our garden's fertile soil.  Sadly, it was my job to remove the fragile saplings before our garden turned into a woodland of its own.

My childhood fascination and fondness for acorns is what initially attracted me to the two inch ebony treen object you see in the above photograph.  It was laying in a glass cabinet full of other nineteenth century treasures in one of the shops I visited on a recent antiques hunting expedition.

Asking the shopkeeper to unlock her cabinet so that I could take a closer look at the item, I soon discovered its purpose.  I was smitten.  Naturally, the acorn came home with me.

I do so enjoy a good guessing game and hope you do too.  Can you guess the function of my little acorn?  Remember, no cheating allowed through the use of your preferred search engine!


40 comments:

  1. Didn't Rosa Klebb pack it with C-4 with hopes of neutering James Bond?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hello GSL,

      In other words, you don't have a clue but very amusing comment nonetheless, thank you.

      Delete
  2. 19th century, hmmmm. Has a screw off top? Looks like a small case for traveling or carrying in a purse...for medicine or makeup?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hello Diogenes,

      One aspect of your guess is correct. I shall reveal all in my next post so do stay tuned.

      Delete
  3. Hello CD, Since I see a small hole near the top, I am going to guess a thread dispenser. Beautiful, whatever it is.
    --Jim

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hello Jim,

      I'm not sure what it is that you are viewing as a hole, but there is no hole (when I look at the photograph once more, I do see a tiny nick towards the right of the acorn's cap which is perhaps what you are interpreting as a hole).

      Delete
    2. Well, perhaps a thimble-case, unless the "finial" section plunges or somehow moves separately. --Jim

      Delete
    3. Hello Jim,

      A plunging finial it is not, but I do believe you have a future designing top secret contraptions for secret agents along the lines of GSL's comment above.

      Delete
  4. Perhaps your beautiful acorn is a disguise for a sewing kit.
    BarbG

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hello BarbG,

      Nice try. It does disguise something, but what exactly is that something? Stay tuned for my next post for the answer.

      Delete
  5. Replies
    1. Hello columnist,

      I've always fancied owning a nutmeg grater but, alas, this mystery object is not it!

      Delete
  6. This acorn is simply gorgeous, I too have a lifelong fondness for them, friends are always giving me "something acorn" for calendar occasions. Might this beautiful object's purpose be for carrying smelling salts [given that the top unscrews from the bottom] in one's pocket?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hello The Hunting House, and welcome!

      So pleased to meet a fellow acorn lover. They really are quite enchanting.

      Do please come back for my next post as all shall be revealed.

      Delete
  7. Just the childhood in the acorn-wood was enough to draw me in, and the idea of a frolic where ancient druids and wood-folk played is so enchanting that the story could end there. And I was just thinking this minute---I'm such an Anglophile and have practically worshiped at the Austen/King Arthur/warriors-in-woad altar so much of my reading life, I've almost poo-pooed our own temporary domestication of where I live. Just because recorded FOLKS haven't civilized the land for such a great time---that doesn't make our own hills and dales and forests any less ancient, nor the secrets any less deep.

    OUR woods would have been there, just the same, and our acorns and leaves fell in the same centuries, the same time-out-of-mind that I give scarce heed to, for the love and ancestral call of England and especially Scotland. So I reckon I'll take a fonder look at our own Forests Primeval from now on.

    My first inclination for your sweet treasure was snuff or smelling-salts, but whatever its occupation, it's quite a lovely, beautifully crafted bit of handwork, and quite worthy just on its own.

    It's exquisitely beautiful, and in this case, even saving a job or a cause, that would be enough.

    r

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hello racheld,

      The ancient oak woodland I recall from my youth looks positively young as compared the the woods of my adult life here in California. Those old growth coastal redwoods are a force to be reckoned with having been around for about 800 years! It truly boggles the mind.

      I shall reveal the mystery treen acorn's function in my next post so do please come back. So glad you find it as beautiful as I do.

      Delete
  8. It resembles a lamp finial but I am inclined to agree with BarbG on the sewing kit.

    KL Gaylin

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hello KL Gaylin,

      A lamp finial it is not but I can certainly see why you'd think that.

      Shall reveal all in my next post.

      Delete
  9. It is probably something like a whirligig (i dont know the real name in english). It is a toy for children. You spin the top side between your fingers, an let the toy spin as long as possible on the ground.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hello Anonymous,

      Thank you for your guess. I believe a whirligig is a type of pinwheel toy or a spinning top from your description.

      My next post will reveal all so please do come back soon.

      Delete
    2. Hello again,
      yes I meant to say spinning top but I didnt know the right word. When I saw the photo the first thing that came to my mind was that it is that kind of toy, after that i realised it is acorn shaped (it looks like a little black urn). We call that kind of toy "zvrk" in croatian (that is where I am from).

      Delete
    3. Hello Anonymous,

      Thank you for coming back and teaching us the Croatian word for a spinning top, which I'm now trying desperately to enunciate. I believe your English is better than my Croatian!

      I can certainly see why you think the little acorn is a zvrk as it does somewhat resemble an acorn in its form.

      Delete
  10. My first guess is that it is a toy - forget the name of it but you keep spinning it? Or something related to sewing?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hello Naomi,

      See Anon's comment above as I think you are both thinking along the same lines - a spinning top is what I believe you mean.

      Will let you know how you fare in my next post. Stay tuned. Don't you love a good guessing game?

      Delete
  11. Well, it's beautiful! I love acorns and I still collect them on forest walks. When my children were young we would use the separated caps as hats for their wee felted wool creatures.
    I'm very very curious. If the top does indeed remove to reveal a small storage area I think the smelling salts/snuff guess might be accurate? It does have the look of a spinning top too, but I have a feeling this item had a practical purpose? Oh I can't wait to find out, what fun CD, thanks for sharing! xx

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hello Dani BP,

      I too find myself gathering acorns whenever I see them which, unfortunately, is not too often as oak trees are few in our immediate area. Further out of San Francisco, about an hour north by car, is where they grow. I think the mighty oak is my favorite species of tree.

      Thank you for your guesses. I shall spill the beans in my next post.

      Delete
  12. Something to do with spinning yarn for knitting?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hello AD,

      Thanks for playing the guessing game. You will need to read my next post to discover what exactly is the point of my little acorn, aside from looking beautiful that is.

      Delete
  13. It's lovely. I can see why it caught your eye.

    Is it a thimble holder?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hello Janet,

      Thank you for your guess. Please do come back and read my next post as all shall be revealed.

      I'm happy to read that you too thought the acorn to be lovely.

      Delete
  14. Is it a thimble holder? I love it, too. When we liven in Ohio, we had an enormous oak in our front yard. Sadly, the last time we were there and went by our old house, the tree was no longer there. Acorns are special to me because of that tree.
    Oh, darn! I just read the previous comment😧

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hello Janie,

      Thank you for taking a stab at the mystery object but please come back and read my next post to discover its function.

      I always weep when trees are felled either through necessity or natural disaster, especially so if they are old and have stood their ground for decades.

      Delete
  15. It isn't long enough to hold needles, is it?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hello Janie,

      The acorn is a mere two inches in length.

      Delete
  16. Replies
    1. Hello Debbie Williams,

      Thank you for your guess. Do come back and read my follow-up post soon as all will be revealed, I promise not to keep you waiting too long.

      Delete
  17. I am guessing a needle case with the top screwing off. I have a little treen needle case, but it's thinner in general.
    I love acorns too. We have an Oak tree on our street however, and it drops acorns all over the front garden... I then spend a lot of time digging out the saplings. Such a pain! x

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hello Heidi,

      One aspect of your guess is correct but you are going to have to play the waiting game as I'll reveal all in my next post.

      So lucky to have an oak tree close to where you live. Might I suggest you put your children to work on the sapling yanking? It is the perfect job for little hands.

      Delete
  18. Replies
    1. Hello Michele from Boston,

      Oh, another guess for snuff, thank you.

      Please come back and read my next post as I shall soon let the cat out of the bag on this mystery object.

      Delete

Please do leave a comment as I enjoy the dialogue with my readership, thank you.

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