Birdhouse still bank c. 20th century

This tiny birdhouse bank was made anonymously from metal, and it's more than just an object; it's a little world. I love how the maker wasn’t trying to achieve perfection, instead embracing the process of bringing this idea to life. The red paint on the roof, worn and patchy, tells a story of time and touch. Looking closely at the roof, you see the rough edges, the imperfectly applied paint, and the little opening at the top. It’s almost like a drawing in three dimensions. The transparency of the walls, that’s what really gets me. They invite you to imagine what riches might have been saved inside. The metal has a patina, a sort of humble grandeur. It reminds me a bit of Kurt Schwitters' Merzbau, in the way it creates a whole world from fragments of everyday life. The piece embraces ambiguity over perfection, prompting endless reflections.