What the Dickens is this?

I found this hanging from a tree deep in the local woods. It might have been intended for birds to use as a nest box except
the opening is very low and chicks could fall out. Also, it swings about. The bumble bees have taken it over and filled it with
moss, like they do.



It makes for some nice pictures with its decoration of Greek key frieze, twined vines and hanging grapes. I didn't touch it
and so I don't know what it's made from. It looks like pottery that has been painted a long time ago.






The lid looks to be fixed in place, or it would fall down(!) but what about those holes around the lower circumference?
That excludes any use for holding (say) honey or other fluid. The hole under the opening may have held a perch?



Whatever it might have been in another life, the bees certainly like it.



Taken with a K1 and a Vivitar 2.8/100. ISO3200 and somewhere around f4

Bug Hotel maybe

It looks like a fancy ceramic nest box. There are some weird ones around, more art than a serious attempt to give birds a helping hand. For example link or even link

At least the bees are finding it useful .

Steve

To my mind, it displays all the features of an hanging decorative hummingbird feeder.

Why anyone, other than a supremely ill-informed/overly-optimistic ornithologist would chose to hang it in your local wood is another question!

An alternative explanation is that you have a secret coven of upcyclers/repurposers living in your midst

Whatever, and as noted above, the bees seem happy enough

Good heavens Steve. I think the bees have the best of it!

Who knows? But I do like #3.

No 3 is more like what it actually looked like. The others are either enhanced in PP or taken with high EV compensation to show the whole of of the thing.