DARK ENGINE, Very Excellent Old Handcut Brass Stencil painted cubes 4 1/2" t x 4

4 1/2" t x 4 1/2" w x 2 1/2" d

19th century New England I believe with its original paint

-- evidently before the company had begun cultivating its wholesome image

I've only found a couple of example of full scale carved stone keystones of a related ilk to this one

with some nice blushing and veins in the marble showing through

DARK ENGINE, Very Excellent Old Handcut Brass Stencil painted cubes 4 1/2" t x 4Six months ago or so, I found the counterpoint stencil to this one GOLDEN ENGINE in the Hudson River Valley; this week I returned to the same shop and found DARK ENGINE waiting for me! As before, the dealer noted that this had come from a prominent area collection, from which I guess they are doling out one stencil at a time. Before I imagined that Golden Engine had been used to stencil the hood or maybe the sides of a race car many years ago, and