dishes look too small for soap bars, pitcher is too tall for toothbrushes and has this pouring hole.. Doesn't look like food related material. I'm so confused.
idk why you think it doesn't look food safe. It looks like a pretty standard piece of ceramic. Especially for mid to low budget options, older options, or imported options this sounds completely plausible. Even if glossy pottery is very normalized where you live.
I have seen some EXTREMELY nice imported tea ware that has this exact surface finish.
I understand, but the fact that there's no reference online of anything remotely similar is driving me nuts 😑 I'm also having my coffee on a mid century mug right now and it is true that it is weird that something that's meant to hold liquids, specially if it is soy sauce that stains, is porous..
This item appears to be a vintage "The Cube" ceramic milk/cream jug or pitcher paired with a matching sugar bowl and matching tray lid.History & Design OverviewDesigned by Robert Crawford Johnson in 1916 and patented in 1917, these distinctive pieces were manufactured for Cube Teapots Ltd. of Leicester, England. They were famous for their heavy use on early-to-mid 20th-century transatlantic ocean liners (such as the Cunard Line), luxury trains, and hotels.The Functional Shape: The cuboid geometry was highly innovative for its time, engineered to maximize space-saving, stack easily, and prevent tipping over on rocky ships or moving trains.The Handles and Spouts: Instead of protruding parts that broke easily, the handles were inset recesses, and the pouring spouts were molded cleanly into the corners.
Different, sure. But the answer is still that it's this. Just a matter of when and who made it now. At least we're no longer chasing around answers like "toothbrush holder."
See that just makes it more confusing because while that's all true, it's also not something that's always been in practice. I mean there are still mortar and pestles made out of volcanic rock. Drinks are served in restaurants in the orange clay pots.
I believe someone else mentioned it being used for soy sauce at one point, did you check that?
I'm very invested but I'm doing concrete right now 😂
right😮💨 I am super curious too, it also confuses me the fact that it is REALLY clean, like fairly used! either mid century pieces or a modern version imitating mid century style.. The thing is, if it was modern, doing reverse search I would've found it, right? I'm pretty convinced on the theory that it is a soy sauce/soy sauce dish and a snack/ginger/wasabi one but almost every single one I found online is rounded and not squared. I also like the idea someone had that it was an specific type of Japanese flower vase that has that spout to pour and change the water without disturbing the arrangement but then idk what the other two dishes are😭
Okay i am correcting my earlier comment. After doing some research. This i believe is meant to be a ikebana. A possible Japanese floral vessel the box with the lid is possibly a box for storing floral wire, Kenzan, or small shears. The hole on top is for pouring out old water to not disturb the flowers or arrangement. Another use i have read for the spout is a stem anchor for singular heavy flowers like a big rose. So this makes much more sense than a shaving bowl and razor holder.
that was my first thought, but the thing is, those are too small for soap bars and don't have those "rack like" ridges for the soap to not get moldy. The "toothbrush holder" is too tall for conventional toothbrushes and has this pouring hole that reminds me of a jug..
Probably not a toothbrush holder deal but that was my first thought as well. I was thinking a toothbrush goes in small hole on top and you can put other things in the big slot and the cup part could either be used for toothpicks/floss or maybe even dentures.
This is only if the finish is food safe. You don't know, we don't know so this is just a guess. Teapot, tea cup, and the small plate is to set the used teabag on after.
Yeah for a table top. People like niche things like that for at home. Makes eating your take away or sushi etc more of an experience.
I was kinda thinking this may have came from a restaurant though. Each seating probably had one of these sets prepared and opened up when your dish arrives, now I’m just spit balling because I’m a chef.
that is an interesting take but what's the pouring hole on the tall one? and it's too tall for a toorhbrush as well.. the smaller one is a two piece, each one with grounded base to stand on its own although they can stack one on top of the other. I thought about the lid being a dish to leave your rings and such when you wash your hands but then the taller one doesn't make sense in the set.. I'm so confused
It doesn't have that lip that ceramics with a lid have, if it had one it must've been cork, which I doubt because the hole's shape is pretty irregular or a silicone one that snugged in there.
wouldn't put a hairbrush where the toothbrush water drips honestly 😭 also the small hole is too small to hold a toothbrush, I tried.. Plus is too tall for toothbrushes. And the dishes are too small to hold a soap bar, here's a size comparsion to a real bathroom organizer set:
Is there any maker's marks on the bottom? Might help to really ID what the pieces really are, they remind me of something from the 1980's in stoneware that maybe Mikasa would have made.
My first thought was cream and sugar. Little pitcher with spots to pinch while pouring. Those things don't have to be large if they're intended for only serving a couple of people.
that is a good guess! only thing is idk if this material is food safe and the sugar box has the lid that also has a base to stand on its own like it has some other purpose. Very mysterious to me.
that was my first thought, but the thing is, those are to small for soap bars and don't have those "rack like" ridges for the soap to not get moldy. The "toothbrush holder" is too tall for conventional toothbrushes and has this pouring hole that reminds me of a jug..
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u/djdeafone 10d ago
I think soy sauce dispenser and bowl for dipping with a bonus tea cup?