Any ideas

[patgc]

Recently aquired this mystery set. Its made of plate and has a Victorian design lozenge dating to 1873. It consists of the tray, a small beaker, small jug with lid and spout and bottle with perforated screw on top. Its big enough to serve only one person. Obviously some liquid in the jug was poured into the beaker and something was sprinkled on top. It has the raised areas on the tray which each item sits on presumably to stop them moving around and spilling. No other marks at all. Could it be something from a ship ? what drink would be served from something like this.

[oel]

Hi,

For kick offs. Could it be a spice & sauce set and what’s look like a beaker is actually a (sugar) container with the lid & spoon missing. Hence the discoloration/plate damage inner edge of the ‘beaker’. Instead of a stand to hold containers like a cruet set, the tray has raised areas to stabilize the containers and a small plate with pickles (sour onions) could be placed in front of the containers.


Oel

[patgc]

Thanks for the suggestion. The beaker has a pattern all the way round if you can see it on the pic, would have thought the others would also if it was just for sugar.
Would the Victorians have eaten spice and pickles ?

[oel]

Victorian era; think British Empire and Indian curries, all kinds of chutneys & sweet and sour pickles & onions and various sauces.
Not just for sugar, a container perhaps with the lid missing or open container to contain sugar/salt or other spices.
For more information try a Google image search:silver novelty cruet set with tray.



Oel.

[patgc]

Many thanks, I think you have solved it. Looking up under Novelty cruet sets, I found your example and one other and think that its bottle is pepper, jug is mustard and beaker is open salt.. The tray is the same as your example. Its a shame the only mark on it is the Victorian date lozenge, but I guess its English. Wonder if it dates from its design date of 1873 or later ?