Antique Book Plate Engraving from Edwards and Darby "A Political and Satirical History of the Years 1756-7 two men painting with fancy ash splint "porcupine"

with fancy ash splint "porcupine" curls all around the sides of the basket and lid

As at home in a mid-century modern ranch as in a rustic farmhouse

I have a hard time wrapping my head around how one would carve a few links from one piece of wood

with a couple of smaller black painted blocks nailed to its sides--completely resolute and matter of fact

Antique Book Plate Engraving from Edwards and Darby "A Political and Satirical History of the Years 1756-7 two men painting with fancy ash splint "porcupine"As a lover of antique playing cards, I fell in love with this engraving immediately, depicting a fox as a knave of hearts, titled "Monsieur Surecard." There was a handwritten attribution on the back of the matte on which this was mounted, describing it as one of 75 plates from Edwards and Darby (London) 's "A Political and Satirical History of the Years 1756 7, which I've not dug into deeply enough to understand exactly who or what is being satirized