Chafing dish??

[amena]

Hello everyone
Last Sunday I visited the wonderful collection of silver of the V & A museum.
I was a bit surprised by a piece described as a chafing dish.

Not to sound blasphemous contradicting the curators of the V & A, but it seems to me an ember bowl.
What are your views?
Best
Amena

[oel]

Hi Amena,

Perhaps the dimensions; the big size turns it into a kind of chafer.The indentations on the rim of the bowl could support a cover/dish or grill and a heating device like hot embers or hot water was placed in the bowl or under the bowl as a separated heating device.

An ember bowl, a fashionable 18th century household smoking accessory in Spain and Spanish colonies, to be passed around to light cigars or pipes, appears to look smaller but I could be mistaken.


Best,

Peter

[silverly]

For a possible comparison: http://925-1000.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=39126

[amena]

Thanks for your opinions.
In fact the object is larger than other ember bowls, but it is very small to hold food. The capacity is about two ladles, maybe less. Also the long legs make me think of a red-hot content.
One can believe in both possibilities.
Amena