I had just handed the auction-house assistant an item I had been examining when I spied the two wooden blocks embracing each other. It was hard to tell what they were, but they seemed to be fitted together like a puzzle.
I asked to see the blocks, which reminded me of the dovetail joints I’d seen on furniture drawers, and opened them. Both blocks had long furrows about the size of a foot-long hotdog, all perfectly formed. I couldn’t fathom a guess about what they were, so I asked the staffer.
I never would have guessed their use because they were made for a purpose for which I had – or have – no use.
They were definitely antique, and very well used. The wood was pockmarked with dark marks, nicks, a missing chunk and layers of grime from too many hands. This was a tool of sorts that was used in factories to produce a product that many would find soothing, fragrant and pleasant.
What do you think it was used for? Click on the photo to see if you guessed right.
