Not A Toilet (And A Giveaway,) But Mostly NOT A TOILET

Earlier this week, I posted this photo on my Facebook fan page: The background is I've been doing a lot of antiquing lately and I'm at the point where I know what I like but I don't quite know what I have until I do my research. However, I've scored big on a couple of items (OMG, French zinc lion heads from an early 20th century carnival!) from dealers who also didn't know what they had, so when I spot something special, I grab first and ask questions later. Hip checking other patrons may or may not be involved. Oh, please. Like I haven't been shoved into a table full of Depression glass by roving bands of seniors a dozen times already. Anyway, I posted this shot and asked if anyone recognized it. I wondered if this could be a Chinese sewing basket, but I actually own one of those and it's not shaped like this. With the way the latch closes on this piece, I thought it might be some kind of Chinese lunchbox, which then cracked me up because "Chinese lunchbox" sounds vaguely dirty. A few people very helpfully provided links to online antiques sites but 95% of everyone surveyed was convinced I'd bought an ancient Chinese toilet. I can see how folks made that assumption because of the perspective of the shot, especially with how the back is cut, but I assure you THIS IS NOT A TOILET. Here's a different photo next to other items so...