Monumental Vintage Cast Iron Turtle Spittoon. Mechanical movement in the head and shell. A remarkable accurate sculpture of the animal with an opening shell for disposing of one's masticated chew. Gentle step on the head to open the lid, and the inside bowl can be removed for easy cleaning. Weighs roughly 12.2 pounds. 

Size: 12 1/2 x 14 x 5 1/4 in. 

#4692 . 

The turtle has a prominent position as a symbol of important concepts in religion, mythology, and folklore from around the world, including steadfastness and tranquility. The tortoise’s longevity and hard shell particularly came to symbolize protection and a prosperous future for many. In the cosmological myths of several cultures a huge Turtle carries the world (or even the universe) upon its back. The psychoanalyst Carl Gustav Jung interpreted the turtle as the primordial chaos, the alchemical massa confusa, noting that the Hindi Trimurti has a turtle at the bottom, from which everything else grows through transformation. In tales told by a number of African ethnic groups the tortoise is the cleverest animal, with similarities to Aesop’s fable of the Tortoise and the Hare. Although Judaic scholars considered the turtle an unclean animal and therefore unfit to eat, the Ancient Egyptian Ebers Papyrus cites the use of turtle carapaces and organs in some formulas, particularly to help with failing eyesight and to prevent infection. Turtle carapaces and scutes from Red Sea turtles were used in rings, bracelets, dishes, bowls, knife hilts, amulets, and combs. Turtle carapaces were also used to make a variety of instruments around the world, including lutes, mandolins, and banjos. Whether made from turtles, or simply made to look like turtles, animal art has included the form since the dawn of most recorded civilizations, thanks to the wide-spread proliferation of the reptiles. The tortoise is a favored motif by Japanese netsuke-carvers and other artisans, and continues to be popular in Chinese folk traditions as one of the Four Great Beasts. The hexagonal pattern of their shells made them popular with Islamic artisans, and most indigenous people of the Americas routinely saw the turtle as an important spiritual figure. In modern times, turtles continue to influence the arts and culture: the concept of the World Turtle is paramount to novelists Terry Pratchett and Stephen King, and conservation efforts have used images of turtles harmed by plastics and enduring tremendous hardship to encourage environmental protection.