This is a particularly interesting early 1800s small snuff barrel, carved with a scene from the famous French fable The Fox and the Stork. The detailed carving illustrates the well-known moral tale, and the top of the barrel unscrews for storing snuff.
The Fox and the Stork, a fable by Jean de La Fontaine, teaches that those who deceive or trick others can expect the same treatment in return. In the story, a cunning fox invites a stork to dinner and serves soup in a shallow dish, knowing the stork's long beak will prevent it from eating. The fox feasts while the stork goes hungry.
Later, the stork returns the favour by inviting the fox to dine on fish served in a tall, narrow-necked jar.
This time, the fox cannot reach the fish, whilst the stork eats with ease.
The fable's explicit moral is "Deceivers, you reap what you sow"