This is the brass of a small-caliber projectile (cannon bomb). During the war and immediately after they were transformed into vases or small statues. These items were kept at home as a souvenir.

The projectile or bomb was built with an external structure of cast iron, inside was put exploding charge, over the charge there was the fuse that set the bomb off.

When the bomb fell on the ground, the fuse got was crushed and this triggered the explosion.

The bomb were of many types and sizes. The shrapnel was a bomb that inside had balls of cast iron of about a cm; when the bomb exploded, the balls were thrown all around. To do more damage, the explosion was obtained with a time mechanism. the bomb burst a few meters above the ground and the balls were thrown all around.

In the war it was important to knock out the enemy. it was enough to hurt them.