Welcome to the board,
Personally I have no idea about these type of items, but lots of makers around the world have produced them, although "hicol" or "nicol" is not a name I recognise. It does appear to be a well made piece and maybe somebody else will know who the maker is.
Could you provide a closeup photo of the signature? And a photo of the base, to show the type of finishing, could also be helpful.