And this is ...

[fernando]

Originally Posted by Shakethetrees

It's a setup used to make gold leaf.

Small pieces of pure gold are interleaved with chamois or some other leather and stacked up. This stack is hammered until the gold is so thin it becomes somewhat translucent, and thin enough to float in the air in a gentle breeze.

I bow to your knowledge. This is what the seller told me when i fell in love with this apparatus... and acquired it. The romantic text goes well with it. I still don't know if there is a an actual name for this tool ... in either language. The seller is a carpenter by profession; i will ask him if he can identify the wood. Its age is not modern at all: 19th century ... if not prior.