You put it in the bottom of a flower bowl, poke the flower stems thru the holes when making an arrangement. It's called a "frog".

No it's for the bottom of a sponge or powder bowl.
Linda C

Here is a link that might be useful: Flower frog

I thought it was a flower frog too. But the holes are only about 1/8". That would be some tiny stems and really limit the kinds of flowers someone could use. Besides it's not very concave or very tall. The flowers just fall over and fall out. (I've tried) Most flower frogs are more rounded and have larger holes. I searched Google Images for flower frogs, sponge bowls, & powder bowls and have found nothing resembling this. Anyother ideas? Anyone?

It looks like it wants to be the top of a suncatcher or windchime :) Please don't let it be trash, it can find a home with me :)

I found the answer from a place called, "Dishes from the Past". It is an insert for a round butter dish. You put that in the dish, then the butter on top of it and the moisture can drain out of the butter. Now we know!!!!

It looks like a strainer piece for the interior of a Chinese tea server. There is a small canister, then your round piece sets on it and then a lid fits onto the top of that. The tea steeps inside, you remove the lid and pour tea through your round 'strainer' and then replace the lid. Think of a teapot without the handle and spout. Tea was sometimes served closer to room temp, in such containers. Hot teas are served in pots with handles and spouts. -Sprout