Chinese...thing

This piece was owned by General Marshall but we have no idea WHAT it is! It is made of wood and measures about 12 inches in diameter with three legs. The top contains carvings of what look like a chicken and dragon along with plant and flower designs. Where the three legs are located, the top is carved into a concave design. The restoration team placed it on a bookshelf as a bookend but I'm almost 100% sure that's not what it is.

 

Wild-eyed guess but . . . I'm wondering if the three semi-shallow "cups" are for fresh or dried herbs/spices used to garnish (enhance) food at the table (if so it would make it much more attractive on a table than a salt/pepper set or a bottle of ketchup or jar of mustard).

 

Hmm interesting thought. Thanks!

 

Trivet for a tri-footed kettle/pot?

 

Sound right about the wood trivet stand Mansons suggested. Japanese type of low stand, as they ate kneeling back on cushions on the floor at low tables, so their furniture and accessories were completely different in proportion than ours. The decor is the Asian Buddhist Dragon and Bird of Paradise, the male and female symbols.

 

or for a tripod censer:


The symbols are the dragon (male) and the phoenix (female), a classic Chinese combination for harmony, the balance between yin and yang, female and male. They are also symbols of the emperor (dragon) and empress (phoenix).
The round shape between them is the Buddhist pearl of wisdom.
Something like these censers could be somewhere else in the house, see if it fits:

 

Thank you both for your help! I will inform the museum staff and will get back to you if we find a pot that fits.

 

Gotta say, I have seen many tripod stands for Chinese decorative items, none like this one.... but you never know.

 

You're right, they are usually more solid, which makes me think this one could be Peranakan (Straits Chinese).
@The Marshall House, if you type Peranakan in the search field, upper right hand corner, don't specify a forum, you will find several threads mentioning Peranakan style.

 

That makes sense to me, as it had a different feel to it's decor and overall construction.

 

Why put a hot pot on a wooden trivet? And a heavy pot if that's what it was used for probably would have left some indentations, no?

Possibly a display stand for an ornate bowl..... There's a second piece hiding somewhere!

 

Chinese censers were often put on wooden trivets, the tripod creates an extra layer anyway.
You can also put a hot pan or kettle on a wooden trivet.

Yes, the second piece is hiding somewhere.

 

I currently own a few wooden trivets that have been used for decades - not at all unusual.

 

Me too

 

Me three, or at least I have some Indian ones around somewhere. I was thinking base for a 3-legged pot of some kind too. I'd be looking for a piece of cloisonne of some sort, but if you're blindingly lucky you'll find a stone piece that fits ... and it's jade....

 

I searched the obvious parts of the house today and found nothing like a three-legged pot. It might be in storage or somewhere else, maybe it broke before restoration began and was thrown out?

 

AJ,

I think you're right in that this is for a censer. I've seen many which were tripod-footed, so that makes sense.

But why do you think this is peranakan? I can sort of see WHY, but at the same time, I'm not sure.

 

Shangas, I'm not entirely sure either, but here is my thought process: It doesn't look very Chinese Chinese. The carving looks like it could be Indonesian/Malaysian, but the subject matter is Chinese, especially with the phoenix added to it.
Putting the two together, I came up with the likelyhood of it being Peranakan.

 

My guess is a ceramic or bronze censer, probably the latter.

 

I do follow your reasoning, but I still wonder. It'd be neat if it was You know me.