Mid-Century Brass and Black Sconces

I've always had a thing for the common mid-century combination of brass and black.  Here's the latest acquisition from that auction site: a pair of sconces.  The brass parts are close to 12 inches tall, and the globes are about 3.5 inches in diameter.

I took a chance on the brass being salvageable, but this set had some serious rust issues.  I tried but could not get the brass polish to clean one of these well enough for display.  So sadly, I broke out the spray primer and then the brass paint.  I also primed and repainted the steel globes.

Anyone have an idea what could have been contained in these globes?

I don't see any sign of rust inside, so I doubt if live plants were ever put in these.  And there's no spike or flat part where a candle could have been installed.  It's puzzling.

Right now I'm still thinking about where I'll hang these - for the photos I just used a couple of hooks already on one of our walls.  I often see a pair of sconces like this teamed with a wall clock, and I think I already have just the clock for this...

Now I just need the right space for it.  Maybe in our entry way, perched above this gossip bench/telephone table?

I've been toying with recovering the seat on this with a vintage pattern fabric, so maybe that's what I'll do, and pair all these pieces together.

Stay tuned...