I have just learned of the existence of a thing called an epergne! A drawing and suggestion of how wonderful a word it is is available from the lovely Cul-de-Sac blog.
OED says:

A centre-dish, or centre ornament for the dinner-table, now often in a branched form, each branch supporting a small dish for dessert or the like, or a vase for flowers. (From our quots. it appears that the earlier use was chiefly to hold pickles.)