Pair of Antique Petanque (or Boules) Balls antique mender ruler Right about the note of

Right about the note of place at bottom left is the note: "When mus [music

I assume the rope wrapped around it was indeed once used to keep it from venturing too far away when floated in a pond or lake--and it does appear as if it may have seen some choppy waters

I've included a few images of pieces of his work in photos

Quite a little curiosity

and--especially as I'd put these immediately to use serving dips and spreads and olives

Pair of Antique Petanque (or Boules) Balls antique mender ruler Right about the note ofI've always got an eye out for old handmade petanque boules balls, but these are the first that I've found, French and dating to the late 19th century I believe. These were made manually by hammering steel (and in this case one brass on each) nails into olive wood balls, one by one, which I understand then required several years to properly cure. Beautifully crafted and wonderfully tactile, each of these weighs nearly two pounds. Approx 3 1 2" in