Enamel Spittoons

Years ago my mom and I were at a flea market somewhere in the middle of France and I spotted the most wonderful old, French blue, cast-iron "piece" - I was attracted to the color and the weight. I paid $100 for this beautiful scalloped dish - knowing full well I had no idea what it was - but knowing I had to have it. The dish sat around French General for years - with many people inquiring about it and many wanting to buy it. Somewhere around this time, someone came in and told me they thought it was a French spittoon. A spittoon is a receptacle for spit. Hmm...that sounded good - but it seemed a little shallow. Then I found a few more of these cast-iron pieces and sure enough the dealer assured me that these were, in fact, French spittoons. These beautiful, enameled dishes sat on top of the bar counter in 19th century France - even a receptacle for spit was a thing of beauty.