Featured Ceramic Egg-Shaped Whatsit

A friend and I went on a "field trip" to a second-hand store today where I found this puzzling item. It's a 2 1/2 inch tall, 2 inch wide egg-shaped item that I expected to be a shaker. But when I turned it over to look at the bottom I found that there is no opening to add more of whatever substance would be shaken out of the 19 holes on its one side.

It has a flat end on which it sits, but does not appear to be a hatpin holder. The holes are all a bit wider than a sewing straight pin but they all face straight out from the plane of the side - in other words a pin inserted into the lowest hole sticks straight out horizontal to the surface on which the egg is sitting, while a pin inserted into one of the upper holes has its pointed end dangling down into the body of the egg. In order for it to work as a pin holder it would have to lie on its side (which frankly isn't a stable orientation with its rounded shape.)

Nice hand-painted decoration under-glaze and no marks of any kind. I bought it because it is such a puzzle (to me anyway.)

Thoughts?

 

BTW, I tried to see whether the gold paint on the bottom might be applied over paper or tape to cover an opening there - no such luck.

 

Bakersgma, I don't know how old you think it is but . .

I am just thinking off the top of my head but I wonder if it is a very pretty "sprinkler" for dampening/scenting ladies undergarments, handkerchiefs, pillowcases, etc. to iron them.

Water is the only thing I can think of which could be "loaded" into the object through submersion. Obviously if it was for "scented water" the bits and pieces which scented the water would have been strained out before the object was filled.

 

I don't know what it is. Standing on end like that, you couldn't put much in it before the stuff started leaking out. The holes seem to go pretty far down on the one side. It couldn't hold anything of weight - canapes or hair pins would probably make it fall over. Maybe sewing or crochet needles?

 

I have no specific ideas about how old. That's an interesting thought about "loading" it with a liquid. Won't hold much though, because the lowest hole is only an inch off the bottom. Would that small an amount, if scented, act as an air freshener?

 

Could it be for holding toothpicks?

 

Hmm. Needles often come in larger gauges than straight pins. That might hold them out from the surface enough to make the needles easier to grab. Good thought, more other!

Toothpicks might work as well, Uncle Chuck!

 

Does the base unscrew?
Could it be a pomander?

 

Maybe for the toothpick-like thingys that are used to stab small bits of food, like party fare?

Whatever its purpose, it's very pretty.

 

No unscrewing, cluttered. (But when you asked, I tried!)

Cocktail picks might work, Pat.

It is pretty, isn't it! The decoration doesn't really have any flowers, despite a few pinkish spots. I think it's one of the curly ferns.

I've decided it will live with my shaker collection.

 

Ah, "cocktail picks"... couldn't think of the term!

The design looks somewhat like a houseplant to me.

 

Would take forever to fill it with a fluid of any kind.
I think it's a chingadera.

 

I'll bite. What's a chingadera?

I see the winky, you pulling my leg?

 

Moi?

 

So you're saying that "chingadera" is a term you made up yourself?

 

Been around forever but maybe a SW thing. Seems I've known it much longer than that which be from the NE.
~
These are VERY handy and you typically need one, at least, to adjust 'Johnson rods'.

 

Maybe for hat pins?

 

I don't think it's tall enough for hat pins. They tend to be 8 - 12"

Wiki says chingadera means whatchamacallit, thingamabob, whatzit, gizmo.

 

I have to vote for hatpin holder. At least, that's what the owner of this one called his: http://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/lovely-nippon-hat-pin-holder-egg-shaped-hand

 

I have some hatpins put away someplace. I'm going to try putting them in a 2 1/2" tall chingadera (tiny salt shaker, actually) and see if they stand up or fall over. I just don't see it, even if that's what someone called it.