An Illuminating Artifact!

Another mystery artifact from our collection - or actually, two mystery artifacts - chosen by one of our Education Program Specialists, Susan V.!  This lovely little set of boots is practically perfect in every way:

Now, obviously this matched pair of brass artifacts was made to look like boots of the sensible kind, with copper buttons for decoration:

The boots are about 5.5" high.  As you can see in the photo below, the front of the "boot" is flat, with a half-cylinder and stand attached to the back.
 

The question this week is what is the proper name of this set of artifacts?  And for what purpose were they used?  There is a clue in the photos above, if you look closely.  I will freely admit, however, that this one might take a bit of research.  Good luck!