Technical What is this thing?

I saw this little doodad on Ebay. What was its original purpose?
http://www.ebay.com/itm/391655972221

 

By the looks of it it's an interior lite (can see lamp so only clear light comes thru) with some added flare for others out side of the car to see. See the switch ?

 

As the ad states, it is a dash mounted lamp. Early cars lacked illuminated gauges and map lights. These were sold as accessories. The colored jewels were just for added bling

 

I have one of those - But it is plated silver color and doesn't have the extra base. And yes it was just an interior light with colored lenses for effect

 

Thanks for the replies. I couldn't for the life of me think of what its purpose could be. lol