Help with one more please - Salt and Pepper?

[beccaboo0713]

Honestly, I don't know what they are. They were my granny's and she gave them to me right before she died. I would like to know what they are, haha. She said they were for salt and pepper...

[ironlord1963]

    Nice Items, would not call them Salt and pepper, but sure looks like cloisonne items to me.  Intresting technique, which became really popular in the Depression and Mid century, as soldiers at this time was buying this up to send home, but this was a style that is much older then that.  Oh I will add the wikipedia link for more inforamtion

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cloisonne

[talesofthesevenseas]

Something interesting about these. You have a five-toed dragon there. Traditionally, only the emperor could have five toes on the dragons in his motifs, nobles got four and three toes on the dragons of the common people. I have a Chinese wedding bed with three-toed dragons carved on it that is well over 100 years old.

That said, I do not think these are royal pieces, but produced later when decorating an object with a five-toed dragon was considered an OK thing to do and would no longer get you beheaded, or whatever the penalty was. Royal pieces would not have the slight painting flaws. They do look like they have some age to them though, I'm going to guess somewhere 1920-1950's, but with more research you could find out when it was permitted to decorate with a five-toed dragon and that should help you dial in the date.

I do not know the purpose for these, maybe some type of cosmetic jar? Caligraphy ink?

[beccaboo0713]

Oh, thanks for the information. Very interesting about the five-toed dragon. I am assuming the other one is a a Chinese phoenix? Lots of research fodder!

[talesofthesevenseas]

The dragon represents a groom, the phoenix represents a bride, so these may have been a wedding gift.

[mart]

I don`t know,, they could have been for S&P since it was expensive in some places and could have been used by the pinch !! Remember the old salt cellars ?? This could have been their version of them !!

[beccaboo0713]

Okay, so far I gather that the practice of painting five-toed dragons ending around 1911 but it might have been allowed before than unofficially. Still can't find what they actually are...

ETA: They are not that big standing at about 2" tall and about 1" wide.

[mart]

I think your grandmother was right !!

[KC]

ditto!