Fantastic Antique Hand-carved, Gilded Folk Art Dove crayon giving a bit of a

giving a bit of a sense of moody weather while perfectly setting off this wonderfully carved and painted dog

5 " l x 2 1/4" t x 1 3/4" w

with a few small dark marks on the interior of the lip

)  Other than the gray seam/basting tape on the inside of the waist of his paints

barely visible

Fantastic Antique Hand-carved, Gilded Folk Art Dove crayon giving a bit of aI had at first taken this as an eagle, but I am now thinking it must be a dove, looking quite beatific with its wide eyes, smallish beak, and most angelic wings, a symbol of peace and also the Holy Spirit. The examples most similar in manner I have found are 19th century French and French Canadian; this one I found it in an off the beaten path spot in Maine, so perhaps the latter. Based on the holes in its flat back I would think either the topper on