Pair of Antique Petanque (or Boules) Balls antique mender ruler I've included a few images

I've included a few images of pieces of his work in photos

A little wear around the edges of the gold painted frame plus tearing to the black paper on the back

which clearly inspired it and translates as: "Motherhood

I'm not totally sure what these were made to be used for--perhaps something related to fishing

announcing the 'true flight" and "remarkable durability" of these birdies

Pair of Antique Petanque (or Boules) Balls antique mender ruler I've included a few imagesI've always got an eye out for old handmade petanque boules balls, but these are the first that I've found, French and dating to the late 19th century I believe. These were made manually by hammering steel (and in this case one brass on each) nails into olive wood balls, one by one, which I understand then required several years to properly cure. Beautifully crafted and wonderfully tactile, each of these weighs nearly two pounds. Approx 3 1 2" in