Strange little...toothpick holder?

Hi,

I picked up this odd little barrel shaped ceramic at a junk shop for $1. It is definitely old (crazing visible) and about 3.5" long. It immediately struck me as Egyptian revival or something of the ilk, and I took a fancy to it.

It has an odd mark on the bottom, that looks like a Z flipped over with a vertical line through it (see bottom image). Any help on identification (its use, makers mark, or possible age) is most appreciated.


Thank you

 

Hi, crazing is not a sign of age, you can find new pieces with crazing.

 

I agree with Marie, but an idle guess would be 1960s/70s for this piece, and just from general appearance, I'd lean towards Japanese (could easily be wrong).

The mark is very hard to see, but it's nothing that rings a bell:

 

Thanks for your replies..yes I should have been more specific and said the crazing did not appear contrived. I suppose I'll never solve this mystery but the mark and the head were so peculiar it made me wonder.

 

Does it have an opening in the mouth? Reminds me of McCoy.

 

No opening in the mouth but thats a good clue to look for. Ive been using it for a toothpick holder. Thanks for your reply!

 

The barrel looks to me like a section of bamboo. Bamboo or barrel, with a tiger inside seems like something from an Asian imagination. I don't see anything Egyptian about the design.

 

yes, that sounds very reasonable that its a bamboo / tigerlike theme. I think at the time I had made this post I had Egyptian revival on the brain from other research ongoing and was "seeing" what I wanted to see. It is probably Japanese from 60's / 70's. Its in my display of similar animal/creature tchotchkes from that era.

 

The mark, just accentuated a bit: looks to be a Z with an angled vertical line through it.....

 

It must be The Mark of Zorro!

 

Maybe it’s an opium pillow? For a little money!

 

Ha! You would have to have a very tiny head to recline on this - its only 3.5" long.