Greetings.
I received an inquiry this week from a relative regarding an "attic find". I've not seen this item in person -- just the pictures you'll see here. These are the only pictures I have.
Basically, it is a glass eye -- but clearly not one made for prosthetic use. It is just over two inches in diameter and so not only does it measure about twice the diameter of a human eye, it is of immensely greater volume, as well. In fact, as far as real-world land-mammals go, this thing is closer to horse/moose size, if the information I found on the internet is accurate. The style of the construction is in certain ways similar to "paperweight" doll eyes, in that the pupil is a separate, raised dome of glass. In this case, the iris appears to be made of metal, although it could have looked different in the past than it does now. This glass eye does have some damage, so it is possible we aren't getting the full picture, as it were.
So obviously this is a glass eye -- but my question here is, is it just a really ugly sculpture of an eye, or is there more to it? Was it a toy? Was it part of something else (i.e., was it actually used as an eyeball for something bigger)? If so, what?
Here's my logic following some research/Google/armchairing:
1) I have no idea how old it is, but I'd guess older than the 1980s.
2) It is built kind of like a specific type of doll eye ("paperweight"), so maybe it was used as an eyeball in something bigger. But:
3) The domed pupil means it wouldn't have been something that "blinked",
4) It is way bigger than a human eye, so, that rules out realistic dolls and mannequins
5) It isn't very elegant or accurate in its presentation, so I can't imagine it belonging to something like a carousel horse or a taxidermy project.
6) At this size, weight, and given the "bloodshot" theme with the metal iris, it would make a better standalone Halloween prop than anything else.. so maybe that's all it is: a crude, grotesque little glass eyeball.
That's all I've got.
Any ideas?
Thanks for looking.
- mcl
I received an inquiry this week from a relative regarding an "attic find". I've not seen this item in person -- just the pictures you'll see here. These are the only pictures I have.
Basically, it is a glass eye -- but clearly not one made for prosthetic use. It is just over two inches in diameter and so not only does it measure about twice the diameter of a human eye, it is of immensely greater volume, as well. In fact, as far as real-world land-mammals go, this thing is closer to horse/moose size, if the information I found on the internet is accurate. The style of the construction is in certain ways similar to "paperweight" doll eyes, in that the pupil is a separate, raised dome of glass. In this case, the iris appears to be made of metal, although it could have looked different in the past than it does now. This glass eye does have some damage, so it is possible we aren't getting the full picture, as it were.
So obviously this is a glass eye -- but my question here is, is it just a really ugly sculpture of an eye, or is there more to it? Was it a toy? Was it part of something else (i.e., was it actually used as an eyeball for something bigger)? If so, what?
Here's my logic following some research/Google/armchairing:
1) I have no idea how old it is, but I'd guess older than the 1980s.
2) It is built kind of like a specific type of doll eye ("paperweight"), so maybe it was used as an eyeball in something bigger. But:
3) The domed pupil means it wouldn't have been something that "blinked",
4) It is way bigger than a human eye, so, that rules out realistic dolls and mannequins
5) It isn't very elegant or accurate in its presentation, so I can't imagine it belonging to something like a carousel horse or a taxidermy project.
6) At this size, weight, and given the "bloodshot" theme with the metal iris, it would make a better standalone Halloween prop than anything else.. so maybe that's all it is: a crude, grotesque little glass eyeball.
That's all I've got.
Any ideas?
Thanks for looking.
- mcl
