Hello dw3000; It looks like it could be for ink. The thing that intrigues me is the top of the finish. It looks like it is a Burst-off release without any grinding to the top edge of the bottle.
I can't really tell from the picture. Is there a two part mold seam on the shoulde's and neck?
And what does the bottom look like? Nice piece, I am thinking. RED Matthews
The base is flat with no markings. Picture attached. The lip is rough and does appear to be a burst off/shear top, but it is much wider than other burst top inks I've seen.
At first I didn't see any mold seams, but I think they are obscured by the ribs. There appear to be two seams that run up opposite corners of the bottle, up through the lip. The seem can be faintly seen going to the top of the lip in the attached picture below.
Cute little bottle! It is a wider than average opening for an ink, but the bottle is quite small as well.. seems British-made to me, if not ink, perhaps glue or some sort of salve or balm..?
Some inks like that have a cemented on metal dispensor lid.
They grind them a bit flat so the top goes on right.
A little better than the penny inks, would go in a set.