mark of Thomas Cory, London 1680, of circular form with bulbous bowl and narrow banded rim, part marked pierced handle prick marked 'I*C 1681 M', bowl 11cm diameter and 3.5cm high, 3.3ozt Footnote: A very similar example by the same maker and dated 1685 is on display in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, USA - a donation from the Irwin Untermyer collection. Bleeding bowls were used to collect blood during bloodletting – a practice once carried out to treat a wide range of medical conditions. Bloodletting was seen to be a cure for many fevers and diseases, which were believed to be caused by a build up of blood in the body.