Perfume Pear

A customer who had bought a salt and pepper pear set asked me to make a "perfume pear".

It was an interesting problem. Neither one of us had ever seen such a thing, but she explained she wanted a pear with a stopper that fit into the top much like the old fashioned glass perfume bottles.

So, I made a pear with a closed bottom, a long dipper with a stem and leaf handle. The dipper part of the top was waxed to keep it in bisque during the glaze firing. The inside of the pear was left in bisque also.

The stem was fired with a kiln post support--the stem stuck in the hole in the post. Both were liberally waxed.

The customer already had a tiny funnel, but it would have been interesting to make a matching one to use to fill the pear.

The whole thing worked well with an added bonus--since the inside and stem were bisque, the part of the perfume was absorbed into the body and it exudes a faint whiff of perfume. So it can act as a very subtle room deodorizer as well.

Luckily, there has been no leaching from the base--that would be a disaster, since it would ruin a varnished surface.

The next time I make one, I think I'll make a matching tray for it to sit on, just in case.