Topic: Early Heavy Glass Oddity what's It For???

[LEGSY]

I picked this piece up today it came from a local charity shop and had been in there a month and it had a red cross through the price to reduce it to £1, The thing that got me interested was was the sheer weight the item is a decent size at 7.5" x 4.5" but weigh's 1.8kilo's now the other unusual thing which sparked my interest's is the fact that it is moulded glass now i know i am really going out on a limb but i am sure some early Irish turn over rim pieces have molded feet in not so different a pattern as this one's is i know its an odd thing and the wear to the base is considerable maybe you can tell from the picture's? I think it's grey tinge indicates lead glass without question but what is it for and what sort of date any idea's???Thanks for taking a look.

[LEGSY]

 

[Lustrousstone]

The grey tinge just means it contain maganese decoloriser and it's been exposed to sunlight. In the UK it goes grey rather than purple as we just don't have enough sunlight

[LEGSY]

 
Thank you for your reply i have googled around to get some information on your reply quite interesting although i cannot say i fully understand as yet but i will with a bit more searching, Interestingly whilst looking i came across an interesting piece of information which seem's to suggest these unusual motif's on this piece are known as contact molding used to imitate particularly difficult and expensive cut motif's and goes on to say mostly done in the  first quarter of the 19th century which kind of fits nicely with the molded foot Irish bowls i guess or there about's all interesting stuff! I am still thinking what for is it for?

[chopin-liszt]

It's quite probably a fruit bowl.
I confess to keeping things other than fruit in fruit bowls though. They're handy for the cat's treats or the odd rubber band and kirby grip.

[LEGSY]

 
Yes i agree, Maybe a pineapple stand although it would have needed to be a giant pineapple or maybe a grape stand would be more useful as i cant remember seeing an uglier example to date i guess it maybe a fairly early example of molded glassware..