Note how the eyelets are worn at the top. Maybe a handle was attached there?
I'm guessing it is a cruet or condiment caddy (salt & pepper, vinegar & oil, ketchup & mustard, olives & pickles...) abandoned after a picnic in the park because the handle came off.
I can't find a pic of a similar one... So, I'm just guessing...
My little piece of one of the confederate reunions. It was held at the Confederate Retirement Half me where it was held in 1906 in New Orleans. I did it across the street from where it used to be
And of course I had to buy a metal to go with it LOL