Large 1901 Dark Blue Velvet Heart Shaped Emery with Hanging Loop antique angle embossed watercolors I might guess there is

I might guess there is some social/political commentary going on here too

In addition to all that is viscerally satisfying about it as a sculptural object now

I might guess it was once part of a piece of furniture

but none as old or with such a wonderful figure as this guy

and the lack of any context

Large 1901 Dark Blue Velvet Heart Shaped Emery with Hanging Loop antique angle embossed watercolors I might guess there isFrom one side this large antique heart shaped velvet emery pin cushion (definitely it is filled with emery powder, sand like in density and used from sharpening pins and needles) looks almost black (a black heart), but from the other true blue. The near black side clearly once showed a message spelled out in pins, some of which is lost but enough pins remain to discern the date of 1901 (and one could certainly add a few pins to make the year clearer