Chinese Toggle Depicting Shoe

A lidless, boxy little vessel with a pinched handle and a mottled dark skin.

This wooden toggle depicting a shoe is from China, and dates to the 19th century. It is wood. Toggles were worn at the sash to anchor a cord that held a pouch or small tool, and they were often carved as small objects of daily life. Rectangular container with an open top and a rounded lug at one side. The body is banded near the base, with a blotchy, burnished surface in deep reddish brown showing patches of lighter wear. It is 1.5 inches wide, 3.5 deep and 2 high.

Plain, practical, and wearing its stains well.