26 - A MID 19TH CENTURY GILT AND GLASS LACHRYMATORY ‘TEAR CATCHER’ BOTTLE

A MID 19TH CENTURY GILT AND GLASS LACHRYMATORY ‘TEAR CATCHER’ BOTTLE Hand painted gilt overlay and faceted body. (length 12.8cm) N.B. these vessels go by several names — lachrymatory, tear catcher, tear vial, or unguentarium — and were said to hold the tears shed by mourners, preserved afterwards as a keepsake of the deceased. Tradition holds that when the liquid inside had fully evaporated, the period of grieving was considered complete. Bottles of this type also served a second purpose, holding perfume