Alchemical Symbolism in the VMS

[-JKP-]

Does anyone have any idea what this illustrated tubular object should represent ?
It doesn't look like an alchemical device to me.


Beinecke Digital Collections, Mellon MS 16, Johannes de Rupescissa,  De consideratione quinte essentie, anonymously translated into German, p. You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view. , ca. 1475

It might be an attempt to draw this kind of distillation jar, but the person didn't know how to draw transparent arms going back into the bottom bulb:

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Edit [addition]: Here's another example courtesy of the Wellcome site with a short top-neck and it is drawn without an attempt at transparency:



It's called a pelican glass and I can see why. The way the "neck" curves down is like the many religious drawings of the pelican piercing its own breast to feed its chicks. They didn't know what a pelican looked like. They never drew it with a fat bill, it was usually drawn more like a regular songbird with a long neck or like a small crane.