What is this? Ideas?

[chadkeath]

Hi I am helping my aunt try to figure out what this item is. It is around 7 inches in diameter. Silver part is marked derby silver with a rise pattern. Porcelain insert is stamped LS&S. Any help is appreciate. Thank you for your help.

 

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[Red-Coat]

Rather nice. It’s a jardinière, or planter, hence the drain hole in the bottom of the liner to prevent plants becoming waterlogged and the loop handles to lift it out when necessary. The smaller ones are sometimes called ‘cache pots’ from the French ‘cacher’ (to hide) since the decorative exterior hides the more utilitarian interior.

The outer container is by the Derby Silver Company , but that’s the mark they used on silver plate, not silver. They were founded in 1873 with offices in the Birmingham section of Derby, CT and a factory in Shelton. They operated under that name until consolidated into the Meriden company in 1933. The inner liner looks to be from L. Straus & Sons, a wholesaler importer based in New York from the late 1800s. They had their own factory in Carlsbad, Austria and arrangements with other producers of higher quality porcelain such as from Limoges and Meissen.

I would think what you have is probably circa 1900 and put together for a high street retailer. Stores like Macy’s stocked a lot of this kind of thing.