My grandma had one similar to that and she said it was for fancy dinners. She was given it when her grandmother died, all the kids and grand kids were. They were from a set of china and were used to serve eggnog at the christmas dinner. She uses it as a vase in her kitchen window now.
Farmgirl Sister #1438
God - Gardening - Family - Is anything else important?
Maybe it is intended as a dessert dish. I think if it was meant to be used for drinking, there would be more of a stem. In any case, everyone would be back for seconds if used in our household.