Vintage Bronze/Brass Spoon Rest? Or What

Here's another storage find.I'm not sure what this item is,look like a bronze or brass spoon rest.Octagon shaped with what look like a handpainted flower on the bottom.

 

Will it stand on the square side? Hat pin holder?

 

Yes it will stand on square part

 

I don't think the floral end looks deep enough to be a stamp....if it's hollow, by George, you could be right on, @Bronwen!!! Looks like someone hand painted the flowers.....

 

It's not hollow,solid,almost 3.5" long

 

Well, there goes that theory.....maybe back to a wax seal for when they USED to mark envelopes with a 'seal' - frequently someone's coat of arms or initial, but whatever they chose?

 

Looks like a pestle missing the mortar.

 

Wouldn't the square bit have rounded sides?

 

Are the flowers done with cloissoine? (apologies for my spellings lately)

 

I’m thinking maybe blank wax seal stamp too.

 

I'd think that Aquitaine has it, looks to me like a bronze wax seal with a blank matrix and champlevé enamel top, likely French...

~Cheryl

 

This end looks like it interacted with something. Notice the staining.


I've never seen a seal with a cloisonne stamp, all detail would be lost. Design appears to be Asian. I doubt the stamp was a plain square. Well maybe. As I'm typing I'm wondering. Hmm - off to investigate Asian brass seal.

 

Well they did make brass seals. But I don't find anything like this.
Maybe someone has another search word.
https://www.bing.com/images/search?q=Asian+brass+seal&FORM=HDRSC2

 

@i need help
And there we have the magic of INH.
An interchangeable seal makes a lot of sense.

Did the French do the same interchangeable ones?

I thought Asian because of the flower.

 

Not sure what the champlevé (not cloisonné) enamel top has to do with the seal, the matrix (the stamping end) is what would have been engraved for use with the sealing wax - the top is decorative. The enamel is pretty typical of French work, doesn't look interchangeable to me, just a blank matrix, not particularly unusual, have seen quite a few over the years...


~Cheryl

 

It would be useful to know the length of OP. So far, seal that was never engraved seems like good guess.