ID help needed

Above is a link to three images of an unusual brass object that belongs
to my father. It appears to be a bird of some kind perched on top of a
fish with a human face. The object is hollow and there are several
loops for a thread(?) on the head and wings of the bird and also to the
sides of the fish, whose eyes are also small holes.

He picked it up a few years back from a charity shop and we have not
been able to find out anything about it. It looks possibly of Asian
origin. Can any help or point me in the right direction?

Rick...

Looks more folk art than asian to me.

How heavy is it? The 3 loops on the bird clearly imply it was meant to
be hung. The only thing I can think of - if it's old enough - is a "gate
weight" - used with a rope and pulley to automatically close small
outdoor wooden gates.

Kris Baker...

When you say "hollow", do you mean that it doesn't have a bottom
and when you turn it over, you can see completely inside? I was
going to guess it was an iron.

knickers...

Hi Kris

No, it is bottomless, like a bell. I also forgot to menton that the
base is approximately 5 inches from front to back. I thought it
might've been some kind of incense burner, although I cannot figure how
the incense would stay inside and what the loops might be for, i.e. It
cannot be hung as it has no base.