Glass art? matching pair

[Mr Chris]

My mom got these 2 glass works pieces from her grandmother in England, this puts them in the 1800's. I am curious what they were used for and where they were made. They are 5" tall and 2 1/2" at base or so. The painting is done by hand on the back with pretty color when looking from the front. There are no makers marks or other ways of telling anything about them.

 

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[DevilDog812]

book ends maybe?

 

[Mr Chris]

book ends maybe?

I think they might be a little small for that ..... unless it was some small books. Thanks

 

[Breezie]

These Victorian hand painted crystals were set in a window sill to project color around the room; in other words their purpose was decoration. The Victorian era was filled with crystals including gaudy chandeliers. Yours may be 'lead' crystal. To check to see if they are lead crystal, do the following: Get another clear glass item which you know is not lead crystal; wash both w/ detergent, and dry. Hold both of them up to the sun or bright light. Lead crystal will refract the light making a rainbow effect, but the other one will not. Nice inheritance, Breezie

 

[Kenosha Kid]

book ends maybe?

At first, I thought the same:

http://www.kaboodle.com/reviews/crystal-obelisk-bookends (modern, but gets the job done)

Then, Breezie mentioned gaudy:

http://www.liveauctioneers.com/h/item/714586?ah=306-f821e (5" obelisks, click on pic to enlarge)

Unless your Mom had seen (or had knowledge of) their actual use...and without any identifiers, it's pretty much a guess as to what they were used for. They could have just been put up on a fireplace mantel as decorations.

That being said, they used an obelisk for just about anything in that era...

http://www.rubylane.com/item/135488-609robel/Antique-Brilliant-Cut-Crystal-7

...however, being hand painted, I'd tend to agree with Breezie. They're kind of like what today's 'window clings' are, so a window sill decoration back then seems to be the most plausible explanation for their use.