Japanese Hand-painted Porcelain Daruma Figure tall lidded copper box I would guess it was

I would guess it was made in the mid-20th century and believe it was made in Benin

These trains (scroll through all photos to see the complete set) I purchased at the estate sale of a family in Newburyport

with a tubular glass insert for holding a flower or two

one can definitely feel the love and care of their maker

and certainly admire the resourcefulness and creativity of its maker in piecing these bit together in such a smart and striking way

Japanese Hand-painted Porcelain Daruma Figure tall lidded copper box I would guess it wasThis curious character is an antique Japanese porcelain Daruma figure. There are a wide array of Daruma out there, modeled after Bodhidharma, the founder of Zen Buddhism, and typically depicted as a red robed bearded man, as he is here. This is about my favorite example of all I've seen, with a wonderfully expressive face, wide nose, and painted eyes directed skyward, plus he has these finely and emphatically painted eyebrows, beard and chest hair.