MYSTERY OBJECT.
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I took the above photo a few days ago. The blue eggs are, of course, duck eggs, with which Ann made a very good sponge cake. The 'mystery object' is the treen (wooden - tree-en) container in which the eggs are nestling.
I bought it some years ago, when we were paying our usual summer visit to second daughter, Ruth, who lives a long way North (well over half way up) Sweden. The object was made, a long while ago, from a burr growing on a silver birch tree.
The base of the object has various carvings on it. The top one starts off A P D (A.P's Daughter) who was probably the recipient of the object in 1729 (or possibly 1799). Then in 1832 it belonged to O.S.S (O.S's Son).
The above picture shows the purpose to which we put it - keeping eggs in it. The 'mystery' I would like you to solve is :- for what purpose was it originally made ?
Good guessing.
11 comments:
While I confess to seeing the object before, I do not recall ever being apprised of its original purpose.
It brings to mind the turned treen English cream skimmer with central handle, so often seen in farm-house dairies; but I suspect you of deviously arranging eggs upon it to deflect us from recognising it as an ägg-skål (egg-bowl)!
I have feeling that you have explained this on one of our visits. Really cannot remember though. Note to self - pay more attention. Anyway, I will have a wild guess and suggest that it is something to do with milking.
Good morning Crowbard and Sir Bruin. You are both on the right track. Father Christmas would probably recognise it's purpose.
Is it a ladle or sharing cup for a mulled wine? Or maybe for swimming cream from the top of milk?
Ah! It's a Mince Pie plate! Christmas Treen!
You were all getting very close to the right answer. It is, in fact, a bowl for milking reindeer into. The knob at the end is held in one hand, whilst the reindeer is milked with the other hand.
I bought it probably about fifteen years ago, in a large old wooden framed, timber clad complex of a building near Ruth in the North of Sweden. It cost me seven pounds. The building contained a large antique centre, a furniture store, several shops, and an agricultural implement store. A few days after we'd returned home Ruth rang me, all of a doo-dah (to use a medical expression.
"Father, did you buy that nice, dated, reindeer milking bowl ? "
she said.
"Yes." I reply "Why?"
"Because the whole of that complex burned down last night, and I was worried that the bowl had gone up in flames". All the millions of kroners worth of goods that had been detroyed, and m'daughter was worried about seven quids worth of early treen! That's my girl. I pride meself on her upbringing. She gets her priorities right.
£7 was a bit deer!
You're right Maggie, seven bucks (as the Americans say) is quite a lot of doe.
Oh of course: duck egg blue.
Oh of course: duck egg blue.
Very clever dear brother, hope you don't expect me to 'fawn' over you!
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