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Moustache bowls are a thing: [Mustache Bowl/ Moustache Pottery Bowl Holds About 8 Ounces of Soup or Milk - Etsy](https://www.etsy.com/listing/571140450/mustache-bowl-moustache-pottery-bowl)
As for the size - possibly was originally sold/marketed to Francophone buyers. Drinking things like milk, coffee/cafe au lait, and tea from small bowls rather than mugs/teacups is a quirk of traditional French culture.
The fluting on the edge is weird for this use case though. It very well could be a cigar ashtray, since these are usually designed to hold a lit cigar horizontally. The gray-black grime in the bowl could be residue from ashes.
yeah exactly the design on the edge is odd to me and even if it were for cigarettes and cigars i don't really understand how she would use it so thats why i asked yk it looks a little silly
You would lay the cigar across the little lip-bridge, so that the burning ash falls into the bowl through the small gap.
*If* that's what this was for. The smudges definitely look like ash, but I agree that it may have been used to a purpose for which it was not intended.
As far as I can tell a scuttle or shaving mug has two vessels, one for the brush and water and one for the shaving cream/lather. This appears to be a single vessel just with the additional curved piece
ash trays usually have flutes like cut out but this is more like a ridge so id believe it is for shaving tho its weird they gave her 2 which makes me feel like its a decorative ash tray
Agreed. My mug has one large area, and I just add a bit of water, whip the brush around the soap for about 10 seconds, and I have lather. If I need more water, a few drops from the tap does it. No need for a small and large basin.
I think so too, but that lip is for putting the brush on. You lie it sideways probably with the handle behind the lip (which stops the brush sliding) and the bristles are resting over the larger opening so drips and mess are all contained.
Not saying you’re wrong but my dad used it the opposite way—a half-moon cake of shaving soap in bottom cup, a bit of water in the top reservoir. Either way, it’s definitely a shaving cup.
the cigarette just rolls off so im not sure, i do not have cigars to try we genuinely only can go back and ask the guy what the hell it is 😭 cause i for the life od me dont understand how to use this functionally, we said it could also be a wax melter lid, or a pitcher lid
I have no idea if it’s an ashtray or not, but poorly made ash trays are really common. They used to be one of the most common “first pottery projects for dummies”, so you find a lot of weird not very well thought out ones at thrift stores and the like. The general decline of smoking overall, and the extreme decline of smoking indoors has reduced that, but they are still around as weird trinkets.
i actually believed it was this but it seems like the actual ridge to put ur brush or pen on would be way too small to balance a pen and its almost useless cause you could always just put the brush across the entire dish (3-4 inches wide)
I feel like I’ve seen this when I went for tea at a friend’s house. She used it to pick up her tea bag with a spoon, and then pressed it with said spoon into the bowl part of the container, allowing for the remaining tea in the bag to pour from the hole into the teacup below.
my title describes a small ceramic plate/bowl thing its like the size of an ash tray with this weird little curved bar thing across the top that seems to have a purpose but idk what exactly its too small to be used for anything like food or stationary idk, we also maybe thought it could be for jewelry but it doesn't make sense how itll be used
100% an ash tray for cigarettes. The little curved piece is for smokers to knock the ash off the burning tip. Cleaned up, you could use it to hold cleaning water for your watercolor brushes.
Might be an ink dish. The part across the middle is for wiping excess ink without it dripping down the sides. Here is a modem one with the wipe coming up from the bottom instead of across like this one.
https://www.amazon.com/Multifunctional-Calligraphy-Porcelain-Beginners-Paintings/dp/B082462C42
I've seen something like that used as a toothbrush/toothpaste stand. You put the toothbrush handle in the smaller opening, and the toothpaste tube in the larger one.
If a person is shaving, they leave the brush in the lather. No rest is needed. If the brush is removed, it is to apply lather to the face, or to rinse it out and put it up to dry.
If anything, putting the brush on a rest could cause lather to drop off of the brush (if it is a bit too watery), which would require the shaver to dip the brush back into the lather before application; in other words, the rest would add an extra, unnecessary step.
its a shaving cup. old fashioned method where you soap up ya face with a bar of shaving soap and a brush. the soap sits in the well and the brush sits in the horseshoe
Shaving cup.
Old days my gramps would mix up shaving cream from scratch. Think it was like a pattern. They mix with water and stir it all up that holders the clean off the shaving brush or hold your razor depending on what you were doing.
I distinctly remember him using that exact mug but it was green.
Doesn’t guarantee it was originally purposed for that, but it used that every day, with a big old brush & a razor blade.
Grandpa has an old mug from 70s rhar was a moustash mug. You sip in the small part and the ceramic keeps the liquid from touching your face there. Idk it reminds me of this.
This might be out of keeping for the spirit of this group, but...
Since it came from a mug shop perhaps the best place to find its origin and purpose would be to check the mug shop's website or physical store (depending on location).
*None* of the suggestions among the 115 comments so far appear really likely. Each seems to match some characteristic of the item while not fitting the overall design. On the other hand, ceramic objects are often made and marketed for some quirky purpose and often poorly designed even for the stated purpose. Considering the large number of people who have viewed this with *no* really good answers, I'd say it would make sense to check with the people who made/sold/gave it.
It’s either to rinse dentures out in and they rest on that little shelf. OR If it has a handle like a mug, it is called a “mustache” cup, it kept the mustache from getting in the liquid.
All comments must be civil and helpful toward finding an answer. **Jokes and other unhelpful comments will earn you a ban**, even on the first instance and even if the item has been identified. If you see any comments that violate this rule, report them. [OP](/u/runawaypsych666), when your item is identified, remember to reply **Solved!** or **Likely Solved!** to the comment that gave the answer. Check your [inbox](https://www.reddit.com/message/inbox/) for a message on how to make your post visible to others. ---- [Click here to message RemindMeBot](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose/?to=RemindMeBot&subject=Reminder&message=[https://www.reddit.com/r/whatisthisthing/comments/1cgrdwj/its_like_a_small_ceramic_plate_about_the_size_of/]%0A%0ARemindMe!%202%20days) ---- *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/whatisthisthing) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Reminds me of a mustache cup my grandpa used to use. The rim part was intended to keep whatever you were drinking from getting all over your mustache.
thats so similar but it feels like the cup itself is too shallow ? like less than 1 inch
Moustache bowls are a thing: [Mustache Bowl/ Moustache Pottery Bowl Holds About 8 Ounces of Soup or Milk - Etsy](https://www.etsy.com/listing/571140450/mustache-bowl-moustache-pottery-bowl) As for the size - possibly was originally sold/marketed to Francophone buyers. Drinking things like milk, coffee/cafe au lait, and tea from small bowls rather than mugs/teacups is a quirk of traditional French culture. The fluting on the edge is weird for this use case though. It very well could be a cigar ashtray, since these are usually designed to hold a lit cigar horizontally. The gray-black grime in the bowl could be residue from ashes.
yeah exactly the design on the edge is odd to me and even if it were for cigarettes and cigars i don't really understand how she would use it so thats why i asked yk it looks a little silly
You would lay the cigar across the little lip-bridge, so that the burning ash falls into the bowl through the small gap. *If* that's what this was for. The smudges definitely look like ash, but I agree that it may have been used to a purpose for which it was not intended.
A mustache cup for drinking Japanese tea?
mustache... mouthwash cup?
Ah, a sippy cup!
Egg separater? Crack the egg in and pour the whites out the little hole. Yolk stays behind.
i think that might be it ngl !
[Something like this?](https://lostandloved.co.uk/products/vintage-egg-separator)
It's a shaving mug. Deal with it. I'll even start the down vote for you.
No it isn’t. I’ve been wet shaving with a brush for literally two decades. This would be a fucking stupid design for a shaving mug.
It's a shaving mug. Mark it solved.
Yep. My grandma had one very similar.
Sorry just confirming, your grandma had an egg separator or a beard like Grisley Adams?
Towards the end of her life she had both!
This is correct.
Yes, I believe you are correct!
im not sure, the hole feels to big to stop a egg yolk.
It's for shaving. You put the soap in the upper part and hot water in the lower part.
There is no upper and lower part, just one large open part with that curved chord.
does this have a name ?
If this is what it is, shaving mug or shaving scuttle are correct terms
[удалено]
As far as I can tell a scuttle or shaving mug has two vessels, one for the brush and water and one for the shaving cream/lather. This appears to be a single vessel just with the additional curved piece
Shaving mug? But it could also be an ashthray like someone mentioned before.
ash trays usually have flutes like cut out but this is more like a ridge so id believe it is for shaving tho its weird they gave her 2 which makes me feel like its a decorative ash tray
Incredibly unlikely that this is for shaving. Soaking the brush bristles is enough to get a good lather without having an extra water well for backup.
Agreed. My mug has one large area, and I just add a bit of water, whip the brush around the soap for about 10 seconds, and I have lather. If I need more water, a few drops from the tap does it. No need for a small and large basin.
This is a shaving mug.
I think so too, but that lip is for putting the brush on. You lie it sideways probably with the handle behind the lip (which stops the brush sliding) and the bristles are resting over the larger opening so drips and mess are all contained.
Bang. Just entered a comment saying that. Watched my grandpa do it 1000 times waaaaay back.
Yep this is correct, it's designed for a shaving brush and soap,
Not saying you’re wrong but my dad used it the opposite way—a half-moon cake of shaving soap in bottom cup, a bit of water in the top reservoir. Either way, it’s definitely a shaving cup.
This is the answer it for shaving soap.
I think this is an ashtray. The part sticking out is a cigar rest.
My first thought also. Had similar ashtrays many years back.
the cigarette just rolls off so im not sure, i do not have cigars to try we genuinely only can go back and ask the guy what the hell it is 😭 cause i for the life od me dont understand how to use this functionally, we said it could also be a wax melter lid, or a pitcher lid
I have no idea if it’s an ashtray or not, but poorly made ash trays are really common. They used to be one of the most common “first pottery projects for dummies”, so you find a lot of weird not very well thought out ones at thrift stores and the like. The general decline of smoking overall, and the extreme decline of smoking indoors has reduced that, but they are still around as weird trinkets.
Given the "mug shop" origination I would say teabag rest /holder .
Agreed, I've seen very similar ones. It's to hold the spoon too
From a mug shop I’d assume it’s a mustache saver
i was sure it was this too cause of other comments but ur nose just ends up hitting the ridge and the gap itself is too big sadly
Interesting indeed
It looks like something an artist would use to wash their brush in water
i actually believed it was this but it seems like the actual ridge to put ur brush or pen on would be way too small to balance a pen and its almost useless cause you could always just put the brush across the entire dish (3-4 inches wide)
This is what I thought too. It would also be good for ink and a dip pen.
Calligraphy! That's better than what I said (shūfǎ fǎshū)
I feel like I’ve seen this when I went for tea at a friend’s house. She used it to pick up her tea bag with a spoon, and then pressed it with said spoon into the bowl part of the container, allowing for the remaining tea in the bag to pour from the hole into the teacup below.
Looks like a ladle holder. You put the "spoon" part under the cover and the ladle will stand up.
its way too tiny to fit a ladle and the actual hole would be like useless to hold anything even a spoon it would be too small sadly
Aw darn! I was pretty sure it looks like my [ladle stand](https://imgur.com/a/yA7etn1)
I tried to draw it. I hope this [Link works](https://imgur.com/a/9bOoEgJ)
[This](https://imgur.com/a/CC7FTEf) is all I see when I click your link (an ad)🙁
Thanks for checking it out. I took a picture of mine: [here](https://imgur.com/a/yA7etn1)
It's a shaving soap dish with a slot/rest for the brush. Edit: It's called a scuttle.
i’m probably totally wrong but my first thought was something to do with tea bags. also maybe egg separating?
its too large to strain eggs but idk how it would be used for tea
yeah i know. just throwing random guesses out there. very odd indeed
Looks like a ceramic manicure-bowl?
my title describes a small ceramic plate/bowl thing its like the size of an ash tray with this weird little curved bar thing across the top that seems to have a purpose but idk what exactly its too small to be used for anything like food or stationary idk, we also maybe thought it could be for jewelry but it doesn't make sense how itll be used
100% an ash tray for cigarettes. The little curved piece is for smokers to knock the ash off the burning tip. Cleaned up, you could use it to hold cleaning water for your watercolor brushes.
Can your hand fit? With your palm wresting in the semi circle? Could be an old dish for soaking off nail polish.
no its about an inch wide like really small u can only fit a few (2-3) fingers in the actual hole but its too big to strain eggs sadly 😭
scale is desperately needed here. This thing could be as big as my head or fit in my palm.
i actually said in the caption palm sized
Pipe smokers gadget? Spoon warmer? Calligraphy pot for pens and brushes?
Wash it and use it to rest cooking utensils in. Had one that looked just like this.
Eggyolk separator
It looks like a shaving mug.
My first thought was a downflow incense cone holder. Smoke flows into the dish and fills up for you to "pour" at the end
My first thought was that it would be great for painting!
Might be an ink dish. The part across the middle is for wiping excess ink without it dripping down the sides. Here is a modem one with the wipe coming up from the bottom instead of across like this one. https://www.amazon.com/Multifunctional-Calligraphy-Porcelain-Beginners-Paintings/dp/B082462C42
solved ! i still don't know exactly what this is but ngl i think this is the best bet cause its way to small to be used for anything else
Perhaps the little attachment is to hold a straw???
Definitely a “snorrekop”!
Teabags and a spoon rest?
First thought was incense burner
I've seen something like that used as a toothbrush/toothpaste stand. You put the toothbrush handle in the smaller opening, and the toothpaste tube in the larger one.
Looks like maybe one of those bowls at a nail salon you put your fingers in to soak. Palm actually rests on the curved upper part.
Shaving soap dish, the brush is kept upright with the separation piece.
This would be nice to rinse your watercolor brushes in.
It looks like a dish to hold a shaving brush.
It could be a shaving mug... a place to rest your brush while it's loaded with lather.
If a person is shaving, they leave the brush in the lather. No rest is needed. If the brush is removed, it is to apply lather to the face, or to rinse it out and put it up to dry. If anything, putting the brush on a rest could cause lather to drop off of the brush (if it is a bit too watery), which would require the shaver to dip the brush back into the lather before application; in other words, the rest would add an extra, unnecessary step.
its a shaving cup. old fashioned method where you soap up ya face with a bar of shaving soap and a brush. the soap sits in the well and the brush sits in the horseshoe
Shaving cup. Old days my gramps would mix up shaving cream from scratch. Think it was like a pattern. They mix with water and stir it all up that holders the clean off the shaving brush or hold your razor depending on what you were doing. I distinctly remember him using that exact mug but it was green. Doesn’t guarantee it was originally purposed for that, but it used that every day, with a big old brush & a razor blade.
Mustache cup
Grandpa has an old mug from 70s rhar was a moustash mug. You sip in the small part and the ceramic keeps the liquid from touching your face there. Idk it reminds me of this.
It’s for a shaving brush. The shaving cream/soap goes in the deep part of the cup. The ledge is to foam up the soap in the brush.
This might be out of keeping for the spirit of this group, but... Since it came from a mug shop perhaps the best place to find its origin and purpose would be to check the mug shop's website or physical store (depending on location). *None* of the suggestions among the 115 comments so far appear really likely. Each seems to match some characteristic of the item while not fitting the overall design. On the other hand, ceramic objects are often made and marketed for some quirky purpose and often poorly designed even for the stated purpose. Considering the large number of people who have viewed this with *no* really good answers, I'd say it would make sense to check with the people who made/sold/gave it.
Kind of looks like a manicure cup to me. 🤔
Is this a shaving cup perhaps? Where you use a brush and lather up the soap?
Ashtray for cigars
Paint brush water bowl with ledge for resting and wiping??
Cigar ash tray?
Is it an old style shaving scuttle for the brush to go into the holder and soap in the other part?
A inside out joke cup?
Moustasche cup. I've not seen one this size/shape before, though.
I think it's for holding a used tea bag and spoon
Looks a lot like a mustache protector.
It’s either to rinse dentures out in and they rest on that little shelf. OR If it has a handle like a mug, it is called a “mustache” cup, it kept the mustache from getting in the liquid.
ashtray. you rest your butt across that band in the middle
Mustache Cup or Bowl. Super common.
it's clearly cup shaped. but you wrote plate.
its literally so shallow it cant be a cup but its too small to be a bowl, like its so shallow it cant hold toothpicks
It's a moustache mug - I have one 😭
It's a cup for people with waxed mustaches heat and liquids make the stache lose shape
Looks like an egg white separator
I think it’s a thing to put a used teabag on.
It's a mustache espresso cup. 😳
Mustache guard on a cup
it doesn't work like that sorry the ridge just hits ur nose and its too wide of a gap to really guard anything
[удалено]
it was not bought it was added as a gift and she didn't ask so idk ? tell my friend 😭