It’s been a long time since I gave you an anthropological mystery object, so here you go:
Any idea what this is, what it’s for, how it works and (if you’re feeling up for a challenge) where it’s from?
Comments, questions and suggestions below and I’ll do my best to respond – I hope you enjoy the challenge!
Zygoma 
Looks like it is made of copper and has a Middle Eastern look about it. I’ll take two widely different guesses.
1. Administering enemas?
2. A still
Copper is good, it’s not from the Middle East and your guesses are a little off, although the mechanism of second one has an overlap with the mechanism of what this is for to some extent.
Hmm, Greek, Roman? Roman, Greek? Though there was a lot of overlap anyway, with colonies of each in the other’s country at different times. Unless that label is either very large or very small, this looks about the right size to serve something you might be enjoying tomorrow night ….
The top being braised shut would serve the purpose of keeping out both air and pilferers but should be easy enough to break open by pulling the lever at the appropriate time.
Not Greek or Roman and not for serving anything – but I like the rationale!
I would have said alembic but still has been ruled out. Does this come from the same country as your father?
It’s not too dissimilar to a alembic in function, but that’s not what it is. It’s from somewhere pretty close to where dad’s from.
Does it maybe have an Alchemical use? North African maybe?
Not Africa and not alchemical
Is it alcohol related? Something for separating beer from sediment?
Mmm, beer… Sorry, no, it’s not alcohol related.
Being made of copper implies the contents were heated and it looks like it would only be possible to put a liquid in side. Perhaps part of a primitive steam-driven mechanism. Possibly Greek.
Not Greek, but you are on the right track!
Tibetan milk steamer (Tibetan cappuccino is a well-kept secret)
Actually, that is the closest so far – not in terms of how it’s used, but actually, it could probably be put to that very purpose!
It’s the Prokythera Mechanism, which is the long-sought Antidote to the Antikythera Mechanism.
I like it. But no.
I have a few questions/ thoughts:
1) How can you tell the difference between copper and bronze?
2) Can we assume evaporation the important process here?
3) What scale is the vessel?
4) Looks crude, so possibly early??. I’m going to take a punt at Chinese or middle-eastern for the region of origin
Good questions!
1) relative hardness is the quick and easy way to distinguish (not really an option in this instance)
2) Yes
3) it’s about 15cm high
4) Crude doesn’t always mean early – it can just mean low cost.
You are the closest so far in terms of geography, but still not there.
When you say evaporation, are we talking water or oil? And geographically speaking – Nepal?
Water and Nepal is very nearby.
A Japanese incense burner?
Not Japanese and not an incense burner…
Is is an early de-salination vessel – say from India?
Getting closer – not India, but nearby and it’s not a desalination vessel, but that’s a good guess.
bronze oil can, not particularly old based on patina, looks like there’s a top to the oil spout on it too
as for origin, the workmanship is African, like Mali perhaps.
Not for oil and not from Africa
Mongolian tea maker.
Not quite as close as India or Nepal and not for making tea, although you could probably try using it for that purpose I suppose!
Fiddling around on Google, it looks like a description I found for a Tibetan steam-blower. Between painfully slow laptop and impending order to get my butt in the shower prior to going to dinner via the birthday present shop, don’t have time to look into it further; may be an early precursor to steam engine technology, and also found a reference to these being used in part of the mechanism to raise temple doors.
If I am wrong, then there is a clear gap in themarket for a door-raising mechanism based on steam, and I’ll see you on the next series of Dragon’s Den…
Steam-driven prayer-wheels?
Steam driven – yes, prayer wheels – no. Although it has a connection with things ethereal.
Actually not too far off. It is Tibetan and it does blow steam – but not for a mechanical purpose.
Would it be a implement for grinding grain? Perhaps from Russia.
Not for grinding and not from Russia
Cheese, perhaps? You could shake the cream and pour off the whey. Yak milk?
Not cheese either I’m afraid
Tibetan, steam driven, non-mechanical with an ethereal connection – is it used for cleaning?