The Package from the Orient

You hear a knock on the door. Excitedly, you open it, hoping for another letter from the Professor, since it had been a few days since you last received one. You are not disappointed, and quickly send the courier away and open the missive.

My Dear Waiting Reader,

First, I must sorely apologize for the interval between my letters! I'm afraid I've been in the grip of a seasonal affliction which only now is beginning to loosen its grasp 'round my vitals. No, no, do not be afraid, attentive reader. No small bought of Cold will steal me away from this mortal coil yet! The Professor has many decades of research and exploration left in his bones, let me assure you! But now, on to more exciting matters.
Today, my package of goodies arrived from my Scholarly friend! Yes, indeed; though weather-worn, and pockmarked by the bullet holes of what I can only assume to be the rifles of Malay Pirates whom the expedition must have encountered. I do hope no one was seriously injured! Thank Goodness my Fellow had the good sense to line the crate with metal in prevention of just such an occurrence! You can imagine my delight, to pry open the crate and find it's contents completely unharmed! In addition to various knickknacks and some Qing Dynasty coins, which I fashioned into a quite lovely wind chime, It contained three great beauties, all wonderful additions to my Wunderkammer.
The first, is an ornately carved horn of some sort, from China.

















It really is quite lovely, as you can see. It features a dragon who is resting of the boughs of trees, and a line of elders. I'm not sure what manner of bone or horn up which it is carved, but it looks and feels like a very tough material.

The second is a gorgeous and intricate wooden mask from Burma.

It is carved of a not terribly sturdy wood, and arrived sans the tongue, which is quite a shame. Still, I am quite pleased that it has arrived at all, and that it's condition is still quite good, if one doesn't count the lack of tongue. I particularly like the detailing on the throat and the crest.

Last, but not least is another mask hailing from somewhere on the dark continent. According to the letter I received with the package, the expedition got lost whilst in Africa, and they really aren't sure where they were at the time of the acquisition of this piece. I wish I could be more specific in its provenance, Curious Reader, but unfortunately I can't be. It is of a hard wood, and I really do love the simplicity and elegance of the carvings. I must admit, I have quite a fascination with masks, and do in fact have quite a few examples in m Wunderkammer. Perhaps in the future I'll write with details of some of them.






I am quite pleased to add these wonderful pieces to my Wunderkammer! They all look so nice. Well, Sated Reader, I hope that you've enjoyed this missive, and my new acquisitions. I'll write you again when I've something else worth note!

Sincerely,
Prof. J.