Posted 6 years ago
FrauHedgehog
(1 item)
Hole in the top, 3 holes evenly spaced just below, large enough only for thread. No holes in bottom or elsewhere. Grooves below flower petals could hold horizontally wrapped thread securely. A lace-making device? Can't find any similar example, and I don't even know if it is a sewing tool.
Does the top come off and have a kind of hollow bowl beneath it?
No, it's one solid piece. It is possible someone glued it at a later date--found it in a yard-sale drawer of vintage late 19th, early 20th odds and ends.
Only other clue I can offer (which may not be at all relevant) is that I live in an area where shoes and beaverskin hats were made in the C19th.
Ok, thank you. Back when I was turning I saw a number of items designed this way and that is why I asked. I don't believe this is terribly old and not turned by a professional. I would sooner believe it was made by an amateur turner and sold at an arts and craft sale or fair. The ones I speak of the top came off and the round portion was hollow, potpourri was put in it and the aroma came out the vent holes at the top.
Interesting. This is much smaller than that--potpourri would not fit anywhere. The item is 1 inch at its widest point, and the holes are not big enough to fit a straight pin. It could have been purely ornamental, but the exactly positioning of the holes, which aren't terribly decorative, suggest to me that it may have had some use. Thanks for the evaluation of the turning.