This is a rare Olde Thompson cruet. It is the same make and shape as the one in Lucy Ricardo’s kitchen but it is painted differently. Lucy’s had an ivy motif. This one has vegetables but is otherwise a good match for the one on the show.
Here is a vintage Olde Thompson Ivy ceramic piece, possibly a planter pot or kitchen container of some sort, from the same collection as the ivy cruet set in Lucy Ricardo’s kitchen. It has the original Olde Thompson sticker still on the base and is approx 4″ by 6″ in size.
This is similar to a Walter Starnes ivy cruet we looked at in an earlier post, It is similar to the Olde Thomson cruet seen on I Love Lucy except the ivy is on the sides and not on the front.
See it on eBay HERE
Previously we looked at evidence of a dulling substance in use on on one of the mantel statues on I Love lucy. An anti-reflective coating is used when needed to reduce glare for the cameras. Above on the left is a instance from Little Ricky Learns to Play Drums where the cream colored Olde Thompson ivy cruet has been darkened sufficiently to appear gray in tone. The picture to the right is from an earlier episode where the same cruet appears lighter.
Here is an example of the same make Olde Thompson cruet in its original state.
On eBay this week is a vintage Olde Thompson Salt Box in the Imperial Ivy design. The ivy design was also featured on the Olde Thompson cruet seen on I Love Lucy. The Ivy salt box was not seen on the show but there was an Olde Thompson salt box in the same shape on the wall near the kitchen sink.
In the I Love Lucy kitchen you may have noticed a wall mounted salad set ( see previous post) Today I see these two sets -pictured below – that are not an exact match for Lucy’s set but will create a similar look on a kitchen wall.
If you like to paint its easy to mock up your own version of the “I Love Lucy” cruet.
Search eBay for a “Rooster cruet” like the one in the picture above Seen HERE . You will notice the back is blank. so you can paint your own ivy design like the I Love lucy one. You will need acrylic paint, green and yellow for the leaves (there is a touch of yellow at the tips of the leaves), and brown for the branches and some brushes including a fine one to do the fine lines. Use the picture of an original Thompson cruet below for inspiration. 
Click Here to find a Rooster Cruet on eBay
Another consistent element of the I Love Lucy kitchen decor is a wall mounted cruet set in a wooden stand. Many sets of this type were imported from Japan in the post WW2 years, examples of which can frequently be seen on eBay.
The Cruet set on the show consists of a hand painted ceramic double neck oil and vinegar bottle with a matching ceramic handled wooden salad serving fork and spoon plus a funnel to decant the oil and vinegar into the separate compartments of the decorative bottle, all of which fit on a wall mounted wooden stand.
The set on I love Lucy has a hand painted Ivy design. An identical cruet was sold by George S. Thompson of Pasadena with a label with label ‘OLDE THOMPSON South Pasadena California’. Their hand painted ivy range named “Imperial Ivy” used on salt and pepper sets , salad sets and dining accessories, was marketed to co-ordinate with popular ivy patterned dinnerware from other manufacturers such as the Metlox California Ivy range.
As time went on we see the cruet set on the I Love Lucy has signs that pieces of the salad set went missing, the funnel was lost and the wood serving fork and spoon were replaced by metal ones.
Seen above is a similar salad cruet set that was listed on ebay recently although with a difference painted design.
Here is another set – missing the funnel- currently listed on eBay as I write this.
