Skull Vinaigrette
Vinaigrettes were used as a vessel to hold strong smelling substances to be sniffed should the user be passing through a particularly smelly area. At a time when miasma theories of disease – the idea that disease was carried by foul air – were dominant, carrying a vinaigrette was considered a protective measure.
Inside the vinaigrette there was a vinegar soaked sponge and the scent would be inhaled through small holes on top of the “acorn”.
If a person felt faint they could sniff their vinaigrette and the sharp vinegar smell might shock their body into action. The other side of the vinaigrette shows a face and could act as a memento mori – a reminder of death. The skull was probably hung from a piece of cord or necklace and carried at all times.”
(via hotvampireadjacent)