Primitive, Much Used Antique Cheese Making Board with Carved Drain old faithful as the way it has

as the way it has deteriorated makes it seem as if lapped by the waves for many years

or perhaps to stick like a post into a bowl full of pretty rocks and pebbles

patented 1897

I don't know a lot about the origins of this fantastic basket

Primitive, Much Used Antique Cheese Making Board with Carved Drain old faithful as the way it hasThe dealer I purchased this from (in Vermont) had it marked as a "lye board," but I am near certain it is in fact a 19th c. cheese making board, with hand carved drain. (I've included an image of one for reference at end of photos.) I find it a supremely beautiful thing, like the most elemental drawing in the world, and also like a painting, with the white stain from the cheese making process filling the circle and bleeding out just a bit beyond. The