Happy bonfire night. Instead of marking it with the usual British clichés of Guy Fawkes and gunpowder, I’ve opted for this German pooch, used for firework displays in the 1800s.

During the day it was a decorative oddity, reminding people of hunting (it’s most likely a scent hound). But by night shells and rockets could be launched from the hinged moveable head.

Quite what this object means, I have no idea.