Square building with marquetry veneer still bank c. 20th century

Curator: Well, hello there. What a curious object! It reminds me a little of those tiny houses you see cropping up, only rendered in wood. Editor: Indeed. This is a wooden sculpture of a square building, made sometime in the 20th century. The Minneapolis Institute of Art aptly calls it "Square building with marquetry veneer still bank." It's all about craftsmanship, really, the precise woodworking and the careful construction. Curator: "Still bank," meaning a money box, right? That makes it even more charming. It gives off this beautiful melancholic vibe like a forgotten toy from a bygone era. I picture some old gent, maybe a retired carpenter, whittling this away in his workshop. Editor: Exactly. This combines decorative art with the functionality of a household object. We could dig into questions about class, labor, and access, thinking of the wood as a resource. Who had the time and access to produce this kind of hand-crafted art? Curator: You’re right, it does raise fascinating questions of material access and labor but seeing that little, perfectly square chimney and imagining all the coins rattling inside...It fills me with so many emotions! Editor: Speaking of emotions, this piece probably functioned as both a still bank and decor and raises all sorts of consumer questions. Also, is there meaning in rendering a structure so blocky, so clearly demarcated in individual brick form? Are we to find political metaphors in this choice? Curator: Political? Hmmm, perhaps. It's certainly a solid little thing. But ultimately, it exudes such a sense of nostalgic calm. It's a world within a world, made with love, even perhaps as a meditation on time. Editor: It seems as though the maker hoped to instill particular capitalist sentiments via decorative artwork, yet the veneer of architecture gives it aesthetic appeal to later, perhaps less ideological, observers. It asks that we reflect upon production in all areas of art, too. Curator: Absolutely. What an unassuming yet powerful object! Editor: Precisely. It brings a unique texture and history. Let's move on.