eBay

highlander-girl · ‎11-08-2022

Ok.. I have identified the pattern and it was made from 1930 until the 80's so I suspect this is an earlier piece designed for some specific use that is no longer used.. could it be a gravy spoon of some sort? I looked at this patterns gravy boat and it has the standard spout (with attached plate) that you would use to pour from so that would seem redundant and if it was designed to sit into something it's not a long handle so it couldn't be anything too deep. it's also not a spoon rest as I've seen those..

anyways... everyone here is so good at mysteries thought I would post and thanks in advance

smiling66 · ‎11-09-2022

Oyster Shooter?

https://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/four-richard-ginori-oyster-shooters-3780843995

lacemaker3 · ‎11-09-2022

@smiling66 wrote:
Oyster Shooter?
https://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/four-richard-ginori-oyster-shooters-3780843995

Now, I would have said that those are a set of nut dishes, or for chex mix. Sets like this were popular for Bridge parties, because you had 4 people playing cards (Bridge) together, and each person would have their own little dish of nibbles.

It seems to me, that if you're going to eat oysters that way, you eat them from the oyster shell, raw. There's no need to transfer them to a dish.

I wanted to identify the OP's dish as one of a set for Bridge also, but the spout threw me off. I thought it might have been an individual ash tray, probably one of a set again, but when I looked at a bunch of those, the cigarette rests did not look at all like spouts. So I tossed that idea.

janetpjohn_la · ‎11-10-2022

Maybe you could ask on their web site?

Janet

highlander-girl · ‎11-10-2022

All great ideas!

I think it's definitely not a ring holder, and as someone posted tastevins don't have pour spouts and too small for table butler, I'm leaning towards a nut dish maybe.. my thoughts would be that you might "scoop" from the main bowl then keep it by you as you're playing bridge.. or at least that's what I see in my head.. lol.. all I know is where is Antiques road show when you need them? lol

thanks everyone for joining me in this rabbit hole adventure of "what is it?" Oh and I agree.. I don't think Replacements always knows what something is either..

highlander-girl · ‎11-10-2022

So I sent an email to the company's customer service to see if I could dig up any information.. Hopefully someone there will A. answer me back and B. possibly have an answer *crosses fingers..

Anonymous · ‎11-11-2022

The rarest bird of all serving pieces: individual meatball 😀

from_me_2_you · ‎11-11-2022

How about a usage for skimming fat or other product off the surface of soup or gravy

highlander-girl · ‎11-12-2022

Ok.. have to admit.. but my favorite has got to be Palmtreelucky's answer!

but the company did get back to me and although the person said they couldn't identify the pattern, which I thought was strange since it was their pattern. but anyway

"Concerning your request, I can tell you that the item is called "Lucernino" but unfortunately I can't help you for the pattern"

so when I google it, google takes me to images of Lucerno.. (of course) but when I correct it look for exact spelling it takes me to photos of Antique metal versions of this with chains for hanging I suspect and best I can tell after translating this is an oil lamp.. Now how these worked or WHY on earth you would put fire and oil into something that looks like it would easily spill and catch fire on another surface is a mystery to me but I haven't been able to find any information as to how they worked or were used so I'd love to know just for curiosity's sake as I LOVE history

Thank you to everyone who helped to try to find the answers

highlander-girl · ‎11-12-2022

OK... found this on wikipedia which at least shows how a shape like this was used and it explain the lip... again. still seems really dangerous but what a fun adventure in mystery solving..

lacemaker3 · ‎11-12-2022

@highlander-girl,

OK, got it ... lucernino, or small lamp. Thanks for sharing!

Here's a few more of them on eBay Italy, both called lucernino, for confirmation:

www.ebay.it/itm/125093271419

This one has lucernino in the title, but in the description it is called a piccolo piattino, or a small saucer.

www.ebay.it/itm/313697406628

None of these show sign of having had a flame, or ever being used as an oil lamp, and by 20th century standards, they would be pretty dangerous because the oil is likely to spill, and spread the flame where you don't want it.

So, I would say that they are small serving dishes made in the form of a lucernino, and you can probably use them to serve anything you like. They were probably never intended to hold a flame.

I recognize this form of oil lamp as an historical type, I think it might have been used in Roman or Anglosaxon times, in Europe and England. Later replaced by more efficient (and safer) designs.

lacemaker3 · ‎11-12-2022

@smiling66 wrote:
Oyster Shooter?
https://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/four-richard-ginori-oyster-shooters-3780843995

And, from doing a little window shopping on eBay Italy via Picclick.it, it turns out that these little dishes are called fragoliera, which is something to do with fragola, or strawberries.

www.ebay.it/itm/125467182675

www.ebay.it/itm/125422068289

maxine*j · ‎11-12-2022

@lacemaker3 wrote:

OK, got it ... lucernino, or small lamp... I would say that they are small serving dishes made in the form of a lucernino, and you can probably use them to serve anything you like. They were probably never intended to hold a flame.

Ah! That sounds right to me. If I were selling them, that's how I would present them.

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maxine*j · ‎11-12-2022

Thank you for letting us know what the company said. This has been a fun small mystery and between what the company said, you then found, and Lacemaker's take on it, I think it is solved! 😊

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nanniestreasurechest · ‎11-12-2022

Wow...I would have never guessed that! So glad you found the answer!

highlander-girl · ‎11-12-2022

all it took was finding that one word that got it going in the right direction (and google translation)... Thanks again everyone for the time you took to help and try to figure this out..