Glass bell-jars were very common in the eighteenth century and had a variety of applications. They were often used in pneumatic experiments and, more generally, to illustrate the effects of vacuum produced artificially inside them. With the discovery of gases in the mid-eighteenth century, they were also used in chemistry for studying and storing aeriform substances. Other specimens of bell-jars include items inv. 1047, inv. 1048 and inv. 3792, all from the Lorraine collections.