Rouen France wooden candleholder?

[traveler]

The photo attached is of a souvenir brought back from Rouen France after WWII by my Dad. Looks like it could be a wooden candle holder but we don't know. We have the piece that was broken off long ago. Anyone have a clue to it's use or origin?

[KC]

Is a pic looking down on it available?  Does the top section lift off?

[fancypants]

Nice ornate little gadget .

I'd guess against a candleholder , since melted wax would be a bear to clean out of the carvings .


My guess would be something like an earlier version of the thingie in the image below .... or perhaps it was just a decorative doo-dad .

[KC]

Fancypants,  you made me crack up!  RENUZIT!!!!!!!   LOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOL OLOLOLOLOLOL

I do agree it isn't a candle holder!  Poof!
I do believe it was either a decorative object or if the top comes off used as a aromatica (preferable to Renuzit, Wizard or Glade!)   

[talesofthesevenseas]

Does that "handle" section rotate? if so, does something open or close inside? It is pretty darn intricate to be a decorative object without some purpose. Someone spent a lot of time carving it. Are there any clues on the bottom of it? Is it just me or does the carving not look European to you guys? Could this be Asian in origin, even if it was a WWII souvenir?

It is always interesting to see what soldiers brought home from the war and to hear where they found it. So many things were left behind when European families had to flee or were detained or imprisoned. My dad was a paratrooper and he brought back a "battlefield souvenir", a pair of German binoculars that he took from the body of a dead officer. He always brought those binoculars to 49er games.

Renuzit! Hah! Bad, bad antiques guys!!! Baaaaaaaad!

[greenacres]

I was browsing on ebay relaxing in the antique marble section. Low and behold I see this item similar to your design, but in brass. It was gas though, and it was a lamp.

[traveler]

Thanks everyone for the thoughts so far. The top does screw off. Could the hole on the bottom inside have been for incense. Looks like an object that had been used. Hole on the base bottom where may have been attached to something, maybe an alter? Writing on the bottom says Rouen France but I think my Dad may have written that before he sent it to my great aunt. He was in Normandy during WWII at the time.

[regularjoe2]

I'd suggest taking a Q-tip , dipped in isopropyl alcohol , and swirling it around inside of your item , then smelling it to see if you can sense a fragrance/perfume ... if all you can smell is the alcohol , let it dry out for awhile & sniff it again .

If you do smell something like this , was prob. an aromatica as suggested by others .

Blackening on the inside of the upper portion (lid) would indicate incense burner - not so likely , since your item is made of wood .

Your item may also have had a base screwed to it's bottom (hole in the base might indicate this) to prevent tipping .

My 2 cents worth .

[cogar]

Why that thingy just might be a Cricket cage. 

Crickets are popular pets and are considered good luck in some countries; in China, crickets are sometimes kept in cages (Carrera 1991). It is also common to have them as caged pets in some European countries, particularly in the Iberian Peninsula. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cricket_(insect)

 

Crickets are said to foretell good luck. Their songs are said to bring blessings to all that are lucky enough to hear them. In many parts of the world, a cricket found in the house will be treated with respect. Often, they are placed in small cages made especially for them, given food and water, and hopefully able to live a long life, as the longer they live, the more good luck they bring. http://www.essortment.com/all/cricketinsects_rgfe.htm

[KC]

Took the words out of my fingers cogar!

[regularjoe2]

I think cogar got a bingo .

I'd still use the Q-tip trick & see if it smells like crickets .