Antique Japanese Wood and Papier Mache Rib Cage Section from Anatomical Model blow toy which I love for their

which I love for their bold

Approx 3 3/8" in diameter

achieved especially well in profile (hard not to recognize that jawline

I did not pay a lot for this painting

Antique Japanese Wood and Papier Mache Rib Cage Section from Anatomical Model blow toy which I love for theirThis beautiful sculptural curiosity is a Japanese wood and papier mache fragment half of a rib cage from what I presume was a full body model of a human skeleton. I've learned that very finely crafted wooden skeletons were first created during the Edo era in Japan (late 1700s early 1800s), when medical doctors were unable to keep human skeletons for study and teaching purposes. I would imagine this piece was made following in that tradition; I am not