PLEASE HELP IDENTIFY THIS pictures included

[dhoppy]

I found this pot? Have no idea what it is the cap is a bird it screws into the top of this pot has no handle and no marks except 99 or 66 can someone please tell me what this is. Also how do I tell if its silver or plated Thank you

[wendy177]

First thing that came to mind was a Turkish water / wine pitcher. I would imagine even if it is Turkish it would be marked if it was silver or silver plate but lets see what everyone else thinks.

[KC]

My first impression was that it was Turkish or Iranian/Iraq...from that area.  Due to size I feel it was/is for wine or oil.  (Water is generally larger).  However, the design-work.....isn't typical of that area.

I agree with wendy that it would be marked if silver.

[dhoppy]

Thank you for your help I was really stumped. Do you know what the numbers would mean?

[talesofthesevenseas]

If it is from a foreign country (my guess was that it might be from India?) could the 99 possibly be 99 an indicator of silver content similar to the standard designation .925 = sterling? (Sterling is 925 parts silver, 75 parts copper per thousand parts) Coin silver is 900 parts per thousand.

[waywardangler]

I think 99 for a silver content would be way too soft for this object unless it is referring to the silver in silverplate.

[ironlord1963]

Personnally I don't see Silver of Silverplate here.  The color is a bit off for that, have you polished it?  If not then you would see tarnish.  Possibly chrome plate brass, India is really known for that type of metal, brass that is.

[dhoppy]

I haven't polished it. It does have some copper color on parts of the bottom coming through where the silver has come off. I just found this piece very different and unusual that's what caught my eye. I thank everyone for their help I couldn't figure out what it was since it had no handle and the screw top looks a phoenix? I think. Again thank you for your great expertise. Hope all have a great weekend

[regularjoe2]

I'd guess your item is from the Kashmir region of India , strictly from it's peacock/paisley & flower motif , dhoppy ...
(I'd also guess that the bird atop your item is a peacock)

Since your item does not seem to be oxidized much & is unpolished (by you) , I'll give a guess that it may be tinned (coated with a thin layer of tin) .

You can test for this metal by using a clean (& fluxed) piece of solid copper wire (held by a vise-grip) heated over a flame till it's quite hot ; touch the hot copper to the 'silver'surface of your container (somewhere on it's under-base , perhaps) .

Allow the wire to cool & look for 'silver' (tin) deposited on it .
Tin melts at a very low relative temperature (silver does not) .


As others have said , I'd say that this item was used to contain : rosewater , oil or ghee .