what is this?

[jbartlet]

Completely unmarked.   any idea what it's called/used for?

[fancypants]

I'd guess yours is a oil-drainer , used in conjuction with deep-fried foods (of several cultures) .

Otherwise I'd guess a combo yamalka/baseball cap (which it isn't) .

[jbartlet]

sorry there's no sense of scale!  it's small - 1.75" diameter across the circular part and the dish is 1" deep.

[Texasbadger]

Tea strainer for loose tea or tea bag? 

[waywardangler]

I am with texasbadger on this one.  Here is a more modern bamboo tea strainer...

This useful tool is a popular way to brew your favorite loose leaf tea. Keep 2-3 on hand, so that they can dry out between uses.Made from natural bamboo fibers, and long lasting. Dimensions are 2 1/2 " deep and the rim measures 2" around. Perfect for any standard coffee of tea cup.

[fancypants]

I stand corrected !

Sure does look like it's a tea/herb strainer/infuser !

 

[Julekpl]

maybe it's an antique food strainer used to keep leftovers from going down the drain, and possibly clogging it up.

[KC]

what are the dimensions?

[cogar]

At .....  1.75" diameter across the circular part and the dish is 1" deep ...... it could be a hat for a doll.

[KC]

Not for tea...it would fall in the cup.  Even other strainer ideas.

At this point will have to go along with Cogar.

[waywardangler]

The tea strainer is used with long leaved or full leaf loose tea.  The tea is steeped and then the strainer is used to fish the leaves out.  It is not used as an infuser to put crushed tea in and dropped in the water to steep.

[KC]

Sorry Waywardangler....I didn't explain myself.  The item itself is less than 2" in width and 1" deep.  The item itself would fall in the cup if used for a strainer.  In addition, it appears to be made of metal....if you had to hold it it would get mighty hot.

We have a wide collection of tea/coffee paraphernalia from all around the world and spanning the years. We have strainers of all kinds, tea balls, ball spoons, mote spoons, mote picks, etc. Haven't seen one this small!  But I guess there is always something o learn!

[waywardangler]

Oh, I guess I did not realize it was metal KC so your vote with cogar on a doll hat may be correct. I thought it was woven reed or bamboo.  I must have missed something.  I know I would not want to hang on to the brim and dip tea leaves out of hot water.  It wouldn't take long before I would drop it in the cup!

[fancypants]

It's also possible that this cool little fella was a removable internal component (nested or clipped/fitted) of a tea pot , not unlike ceramic or silver items for the same purpose .

Curious to know if it's got wear-marks on the copper from such a use ( @ least I think it's copper) ?

[KC]

fancy think it got a copper glow from the inside lighting and flash. If you look at the other pic...it looks silver.  Have never seen copper used for a tea strainer even if it was larger.