posted on January 7, 2001 12:40:10 PM
OK, I've had this for a while. I have no clue what it is. I have asked around and nobody seems to know what it is....Can you identify it?
Thank you!
The top:
It's made of wood and measures about 10 1/2 inches long.
Thank you!
www.school-auction.com
edited because I dot'n type very well
[ edited by schoolauction on Jan 7, 2001 12:41 PM ]
posted on January 7, 2001 12:44:41 PM
It's a Mexican chocolate maker.
You stick it into the pot of hot chocolate and roll it back and forth between your palms REAL FAST and it whips up the chocolate. The rings are what do the whipping.
Not rare or scarce, and easily found in most import shops.
posted on January 7, 2001 12:46:25 PM
in my humble non-expert, uneducated opinion, it looks like some sort of a rattle -- non-baby, but a musical instrument. perhaps African?
whatever it is and where ever it came from, it is interesting.
posted on January 7, 2001 12:54:58 PMabacaxi is right, of course
Thanks for posting that pic, BTW. There's a "whatzit" on another board that looks like part of one of these, but I couldn't find a pic of a whole one to show the owner.
posted on January 7, 2001 01:30:19 PM
Hi schoolauction...
At first glance I thought this was the Mexican 'molinillo' (beverage whip), but now that I look at it closer it may not be.
Molinillos, at least all the ones I've seen, have a 'corrugated' edge on the large part at the bottom--or at least small paddles--that help stir and whip air into the liquid.
The item you show is smooth, and it has that big space held together by pegs. Does that bottom part come apart by the pegs? If not, it would be uncleanable and not very suitable for mixing beverages.
It is intriguing and a very pretty piece. If it is a molinillo of some sort, it is unusually decorative--more so than the usual.
posted on January 7, 2001 01:42:00 PM
mzalez ...
It's a lot like the touristy molinillos, made for decorating a kitchen but not really foruse. Most of the ones sole in the markets where housewives shop are vey plain.
posted on January 7, 2001 02:17:44 PM
I believe that this is an item used by the Whirling Dervishes in a ceremonial dance. Probably made in Afghanistan or Nepal.
