I can't help you. Just wanted to say that that is a very cool piece of equipment!
Diane

haha, thanks....Selling it for $595.00 You can have it for $594.00 =)

What's in the tank under the pitchers? Is that a water reservoir with a tap for filling the pitchers? If so, it would be something used to take hot water to guests for their wash basins.

You ring and the maid fills a pitcher and delivers it to you. She comes back later and empties the slops.

The bottom part reminds me of the old copper wash boilers which were used to heat water for bathing and laundry etc. Perhaps this is a version of those.

The very very bottom part has a long metal rod...aka..a heating element. the part above it is hollow except it houses the rest of the jugs(as i said they are long) Could probally have been filled with water and the jugs sat in water? and possibly would have worked if it was filled with ice....would have kept whatever was in the jugs cold.

OK ... for whatever was in the jugs, it's to keep them at hot or warm temperature.

If you had the jugs surrounded with water they would drip all over when you tried to pour, so it might have been in a kitchen or dish-up area for waiters to use.