Chinese bronze? old dug US has a three clawed water dragon with pearl of wisdom

Any ideas on what this is. it has no bottom or top, it is like a chimney for an oil lamp. Found in the mountains. This is a link to the photos on photo bucket. Let me know if it does not work. Thank you for any ideas or help you can give on identifying this item. http://s636.photobucket.com/user/gems6/library/?sort=3&page=1

 

Hi! Welcome!
I've no idea but it's cool!
Could you not put photos directly in your post?

 

The bottom looks threaded....as if it screwed onto something else.
The nice dragon......it seems well made.
The mountains.....where?
Were the Chinese involved in construction in that area?

 

Perhaps a lamp.

 

It was made as a vase and once had a separate thin metal disc as the bottom surface but that's obviously missing. It was made too thin-walled thus the holes. I'm guessing holes are casting defect? Is so thin-walled it could be that "they" made it by expanding brass tubing into a mold. Don't really know on this, never saw anything like it so don't think I'm any kind of expert.

 

It was found in Northeast Wyoming.

 

my mom calls it a burial urn

 

You have several pictures but none really give us any kind of perspective of the whole item. The one end we see open, does look like it is threaded but that may just be some ridges. Can you confirm whether or not those are threads? Would like to see the other end opening as well. Some dimensions would also be helpful.

 

If the bottom was made separate, it could be Japanese. Chinese bronzes were usually cast in one piece.