A friend of mine has it hanging in his house. I've been trying to figure out what the hell it is. Is it just a decoration? or an antique of sorts that once served a purpose? Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image!
I've seen something very similar, even down to the "fingers" on the bottom of the picture. It was a fire grate - one that was positioned above the fire in the fireplace. The fingers fit into the other very heavy half of the unit to counter balance whatever was placed on the grate to be heated by the fire. Much like the barbecue grills we use outdoors today. There were also grates that looked like that that were used in some models of coal heater/stoves. They had to be removable because coal forms "clinkers" that would practically weld themselves to the grating and had to be broken up by beating them with a hammer so they could be cleaned. Those were the "fancier" versions of the ordinary rectangular grates. Both of the above items were made of cast iron and I saw them in antique stores that more or less specialized in things from the middle 1800s to early 1900s. EDIT: Right after I hit "save", I happened to remember that one very old fellow said they were also used in a blacksmith's furnace - especially for heating horseshoes.
It would be nice to know how large that things is first. I will say , without knowing its size, that it might be a hair pick.
its a japanese iron tool used to grate the sand in Zen garden Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image! The Japanese buddhist monks attached the device to their balls and dragged it along the sand to create an ethereal parallel lines symbolizing pureness of essense itself in two nutshells (which were of course protected...) It was a test of courage and ability to withstand pain. The old Tibetan ritual.
Do the hollowed-out areas toward the botom of the item apear to be "esactly" the sam size.??? Did you notice any ware marks... posibly from repeted use.??? Are ther any indicatons that thers any other parts that go wit it... such as a duplicate that fits over (caps) the hollowed-out areas.??? The surface aroun the hollowed-out areas looks perfectly flat... does that surface look filed/ground to be perfectly flat.???
yeah was gonna say that too, without "pubic" Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image!.. actually for me it came across not much a comb, but the thing girls and women just stick in their hair on the top of their heads in china and india, especially princesses and upper class ones..
It's a menorah, you silly goyim. The cups are for oil, and the trough at the front is where the wick goes.
Below is a couple of oil Menorahs The top one has decoratons (toward the top) simular to the 1 in queston... an the bottom 1 has a seperate 9th "cup" for oil an wick.!!! I thank the top 1 also has a 9th cup in the middle of the upper 3rd of the menorah.!!! http://www.russiansamovars.com/images/details/1505.jpg http://thmb.inkfrog.com/thumbn/yofler/230909_-_4.jpg=600
