After the discovery of glass itself, the most significant innovation in preindustrial glassmaking was the discovery that glass can be blown. This enabled glassmakers to produce vessels much more rapidly than they could with the traditional techniques of casting and core forming. They were also able to make a greater variety of sizes and shapes. As a result, glassware was no longer made exclusively for the luxury market, and inexpensive objects became available for everyday use. This vessel in the form of a bird is an unusual blown object. In the 19th century, it was thought that vessels of this type were open-ended and were used as wine tasters. Later, it was realized that many of them were closed by fusing the hollow tail, the tip of which had to be broken to remove the contents. Some specimens have residues of white or red powder, which may be cosmetic powder or perfume.