Topic: ancient form of airwick??

[christranslates]

I have a glass object in three parts and I can only think must have been to allow some sort of perfume or oil based perfurme to be placed in the bottom the scent would would travel up through the middle section which has a cut out and up through the open knob of the top part. What does everyone else think or is there another use for this item? Any idea of age please?  :huh:

[Frank]

Were it not for the colour I would have assumed laboratory glass. Which can often be created as needed in the lab for special purposes.

[christranslates]

The middle bit certainly looks like a petrie dish. I also wondered if some sort of flat wick could have been run through from top to bottom ...

[David E]

Dressing table set?

[christranslates]

but to hold what David ?  :huh:

[David E]

Without seeing it and having an appreciation of how it is formed, it was just an off-the-cuff suggestion. But I was thinking of talc in one dish and scent in the bottle.

Difficult to gauge how the glass is shaped without seeing more photos, but I was assuming the left-hand piece was a bottle. Looking closely, it does appear to be bottomless?

But Ivo might be one who would recognise its purpose.

[christranslates]

Hi David, It's three pieces (top pic) which fit together to form the whole (bottom pic). If you remove the middle section (petrie dish with cut out) then the top will not fit the bottom. There is no closed bottle aspect because the knob at the top is open. Anything put in the middle section will go into the bottom because of the cut out piece, equally anything liquid put in either part would eventually evaporate through the top!

[Lustrousstone]

A posh wasp trap? Syrup in the bottom?

[Frank]

It might be worth approaching the Scientific Glassblowers Assoc. to eliminate that as a possibility.

I think using it with a wick is unlikely as it would be too awkward to use.

[christranslates]

Hi Lusstroustone, I  should have said - it's only 4" high 3" dia. I'm used to old French wasp and flytraps but they're usually 3 times that size! It's a possibility 'though, has anyone seen small ones? Good suggestion Frank, thanks.