Silver and Mother-of-Pearl Pot

[Granmaa]

This is a 1902 pot with a glass body. The silver cap has a mother-of-pearl segment with a grill on the other side. The dome also rotates. It is stamped with the word PATENT, so it must do something clever.
The only clue is that it was made by a firm called Barling & Sons who were pipe makers.

Miles

[dognose]

Hi Miles,

You say the domes rotates, does that mean that the grill is always behind the mother-of-pearl panel, or does the rotation move them apart?

Trev.

[Jag]

I can't tell what part of this moves and how, but I'll take a complete guess. Could it be a pipe ashtray; to dump your pipe ashes in; cover to snuff out burning embers?

[silverly]

I'll take a shot in the dark. An ink drying powder dispenser?

[Granmaa]

Thank you for your responses.

The dome does rotate, but the grill is fixed to the mother-of-pearl.
I don't think it's an ash tray, the hole is too small to tap ashes in.

I'm stumped.

Miles

[dognose]

Hi Miles,

Just playing devil's advocate. Is there any chance of a marriage here?

Barlings held a Copyright registration for a latch top mount for pipes, is is possible that such a piece could have been removed from a broken/burnt out pipe and applied to, say, a perfume atomiser, or something similar, that had also been damaged?



Like I said, just playing devil's advocate.

Trev.

[JLDoggett]

Ah, Trev, the site's Sherloc Holmes... I like that suggestion the best.

[Granmaa]

Hi Trev,

A marriage is possible. I'll have a really close look when I next see it.
If the top does belong on a pipe, why the rotating dome and mother-of-pearl segment? Maybe close the lid to extinguish the tobacco, and the translucent m-o-p to see if the embers have gone out?

Miles

[JLDoggett]

Hi Miles,

The top opens to allow lighting , grill and mother-of-pearl panel allow air in so the tobacco stays lit, the top rotates so you can turn it out of the wind. I have read they were popular during the last great war when you could be fined for smoking outdoors at night, which might explain the mother-of-pearl addition (which to my eye looks like a later addition), why block up the grill area?

[Granmaa]

Aha! This sounds like a plausible explanation.

Thank you for your help.

Miles

[Granmaa]

After closer inspection I can see that the lid doesn't perfectly fit the bottle. Looking at some pipe smoking websites, it seems these contraptions are called wind caps.

Well done Trev.

[dognose]

And after all these years, here it is:


B. Barling & Sons - London - 1907

Trev.