For what was this Chinese candle h

Have no idea what this could be. Would there have been a small candle inside? Got some age to it but don't know much about it. Has no hallmarks so bit stuck.

Can the figures on the sides tell a story?

Any info input is welcome

 

Chinese porcelain hat stand, some are bigger, higher I mean. They had official caps with their status evident by the type of bead, shape and other aspects. Once home this was the special hat stand it was put on to air it out. Today it does make a nice bedroom candle cover.

 

Ow wauw you are amazing. I would never ever have guessed that. A hat stand!

Thx for that. Know I have a guide to research better. What would you say about date wise. It came with some other fairly old pieces. But non have marks.

 

Ya, you can look up Chinese hat stand, and find all kinds with that shape and those openings.
I think yours has some age, the color of the glaze which seems bluish in your images is an older type of finish. How old, hard to say exactly, I would go with 1930 or before.

 

The irony of yoga positions on a ciggie lighter didnt escape me!

 

Hat stand? For what size of hat
What about it being a tooth picks holder?

 

Yes, the hat stands I found on google images were 11 inches tall, not Bic lighter tall.

 

I had the same thought - but then again it could be a case of "the bigger the Bic, the bigger the Flick"....or something like that...................

 

I guess in this case it is an incense lighter. Or so they say.....

 

Huh! I completely missed that....................

 

It's a smaller export item, not meant for it's original use. Like a lot of Asian exports.

 

As said, hat stands were made to hold the special hats worn by Qing dynasty officials. With the fall of the dynasty in 1912, the hat stand lost its functionality but remains made to this day, just like fancy bowls that are never filled with soup.

So your piece is a hat stand, but a Qing hat probably never graced it.

 

That was perfectly explained in a concise manner. Hope some people get it now....LOL

 

But it does seem like the export hat stands not meant for their original use are still 11 inches tall.

 

Ha!

 

Lower official, lower hat, lower stand.

 

Lol! At least this one didn't had a big head and was a tiny official

 

Yes, not all officials have big heads.

 

If you are not interested in the culture and what happened to it, that is ok. Start your own conversations and topics, maybe?
@toomanytocount
There is no need for this type of talk, please desist from doing so.

The sizes varied not because they were going to be used as hat stands, but because they were meant for export to different markets, some were more valuable and of better quality than others.