Antique Book Shaped Slide Whistle with Surprise Heart and Scale, Working Beautifully finely carved and quite modern feeling

and quite modern feeling

Age and wear evident: some craquelure and some paint loss especially along the bottom edge from where I assume it was at one point framed as well as some scattered small chips here

15 5/8" w x 11 3/4" t

or repairs

Antique Book Shaped Slide Whistle with Surprise Heart and Scale, Working Beautifully finely carved and quite modern feelingTruly a wonderful thing. Shaped like a book, at first I thought this was an old spruce gum box always something to get excited about! but then I saw the hole (called a fipple, I've learned) at the base of spine side, and the carved knob at the top, and I realized it might be an extra beautiful slide whistle. Once I had it out of the case at the shop where I spotted it, I discovered to my great delight that the slide was carved out with a big heart