What was this bottle used for?

[ACLbottles]

I picked up this bottle the other day, and I have no idea what it is or what it was used for. It's about 8" tall, BIM with a tooled top and smooth base, and is an amber color. The body of the bottle is kind of a diamond shape. The base is about 2 1/4" wide, then it gradually extends to about 4 3/4" at its widest point, and then gradually gets more narrow to form the neck. There is a ring where the neck begins. There is no embossing anywhere, but it does have five venting marks on each side. It definitely looks like it was dug; it has a lot of staining and iridescence. Does anyone know what this was used for? I originally thought it was some unusual kind of flask, but now I'm not so sure, because it doesn't look anything like flasks from the time period (I'm assuming it's late 19th century, maybe late 1880s or 1890s). Thanks for any help!

 

[andy volkerts]

looks like a Persian Saddle Flask with no rigaree around the neck, not sure of the age, but 18 70 on woulf be a good guess.....Andy

 

[ACLbottles]

This bottle does seem to have that general shape, so that's a pretty good thought! If it is a Persian saddle flask, would it be a fairly late one or maybe even a reproduction? Every Persian flask I've seen appears to have a pontil scar on the base, while mine has a smooth one, and mine seems far less crude than others I've seen. Also, the sides on mine seem sharper and more well defined than just about every Persian flask I've seen. Thank you for your help!

 

[andy volkerts]

To me it looks like about 1880-90 for age, and I am not sure about this but maybe held liquor, and was designed to look like a Persian saddle flask generally, but would have been easier to make, because of its simpler design. There was a great influence in America from the middle east and Egypt in the 1880-90 era of our history and maybe that style was for marketing reasons..Just a guess..............Andy

 

[ACLbottles]

Oh okay, so you're saying it could be American, made to resemble a Persian saddle flask. Thanks! I appreciate the help!

 

[Harry Pristis]

A lot of fanciful liqueur bottles were produced in the late 19th Century, probably to stimulate the market. The designer may or may not have had a saddle bottle in mind. Many of these liqueurs were imported from Europe, France in particular.

Measure the interior volume of the bottle using water. If it comes to a fifth (of a gallon), you can more confidently say it was used for a liqueur.

Here's one on my shelf. It's a figural orange with painted leaves. Embossed opposite the leaves is
P. BARDINET * BORDEAUX.
Bardinet still produces orange-flavored liqueurs.

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[ACLbottles]

I just checked the volume of my bottle, and it holds a pint exactly, which is about 10 ounces less than a fifth gallon. Could it still be a fancy liqueur bottle, or would it more likely be a pint flask made to look like a Persian saddle flask?

 

[Harry Pristis]

I just checked the volume of my bottle, and it holds a pint exactly, which is about 10 ounces less than a fifth gallon. Could it still be a fancy liqueur bottle, or would it more likely be a pint flask made to look like a Persian saddle flask?

I was doing the same thing with my orange figural bottle. Mine holds 500 ml which is about 16.6 fl. oz. or, roughly, a pint (it all depends on how full the bottle is).

I'd say, don't get hung up on the comparison to a saddle flask. This is not an uncommon overall shape for a bottle, and the drip-ring on the neck is also a common feature in mold-blown bottles.

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[sunrunner]

not a Persian flask . 1890 to 1910 brandy I would guess.