A NEAR PAIR OF QAJAR FREE-BLOWN GREEN GLASS SPRINKLERS
Possibly Shiraz, Iran, 19th century

Each of stylised pyriform shape, with a globular body resting on a circular splayed foot, with a sinuous elongated neck and a broad flaring pear-shaped rim, a thick decorative ring placed underneath each rim, the tallest 31.5cm high.

This type of glass sprinklers has long been described as tear catchers, a name attributed to them by the peculiar shape of their rim. Indeed, in the Iranian folklore tradition, it seems that they were specifically gifted to young brides to gather their tears when pining their distant lovers, as a way to measure their love for them. The invention and use of tear catchers, also known as lachrymose, go back to Ancient Egypt, Persia and Rome where these bottles would have allegedly been used in funerary ceremonies and ritual processions. The Qajar examples only retain the shape and not the function of their ancestors. It seems more likely to believe that they were indeed used as rosewater sprinklers.