Leather coated Bowl to Keep your Hands cool

This is a ceramic bowl that I found today and I think it's awesome. I just don't know anything about it.

Here is what I can observe from the bowl:
It is coated in leather like a football
The interior is visibly hand painted green with what look like winged fish and flowers.
the opening of the bowl is 7 1/8" across the base looks like at one point it had a label attached to it.

This bowl looks to be in my assumption insulated with the leather to help guard from the heat of what ever is inside it.

If you know anything about a bowl like this I'd love to know maybe some history about why someone would cover the outside of a serving bowl with leather.

"Before there was high tech there was low tech and low tech worked" -Loren Harrison

Thanks for looking!
Nate