Gorgeous 19th C. Handwoven Mat of Calico Fabrics hunting whistle (A tough one to photograph

(A tough one to photograph through the original glass in the frame

When I saw this beautiful paperweight

Division of Forestry

which I perceive at least in part as a sort of "art without intent" object due to the absence of a divider on the "D"

Gorgeous 19th C. Handwoven Mat of Calico Fabrics hunting whistle (A tough one to photographMy new favorite old thing, and one I'd be especially glad to keep for myself to my eye just as beautiful as can be. I'm guessing this was made as a table mat, 2nd half 19th c. I believe, woven of scraps of hand dyed calicos. The combination of soft variegated indigo blues with red on white prints that read as pinks of various intensities just makes me swoon, all the better for the free form shape, a little wider at one end than the other and narrower