This silver serving dish is an English rococo style piece
made by Folgate Silver Company in the late 1900s designed for use in an estate.
It features elegant rococo style motifs, though unlike many
rococo pieces it has been designed for functional use on formal occasions such
as dinner parties.
The use of organic and nautical themes such as the shell and leaf design on the
corners and top of the tray, the rope design along the rim of the tray, and the
use of silver and it's hand-making identify this piece as belonging to the
rococo movement (Brittanica,
27/4/2012). Yet the lack of asymmetry, a motif inherent in
most traditional rococo pieces, points to the designers intention of more than
simply ornamental use.
In addition to the tray's style, the added functionality of
the design presents another anomaly in relation to rococo motifs; the handle of
the tray's lid is removable to allow both sides of the tray to be used as a
dish (TradeMe, 2012). This would indicate that this tray was designed for aristocracies who
wanted the charm of rococo design and the connotation of wealth
characteristically attached but with the functionality required of entertaining
guests in one's own home as opposed to having the item serve as an ornament of personal
luxury. (Coffin, 2008)
Whilst this tray has many attributes fundamentally rooted in
the rococo design movement, it is hard to justify nominating it as a purely
rococo piece. However, considering the intent of the tray, the quality of craft
and execution of the rococo style, and the period in which it was made makes this
as much a valuable collectible as any rococo piece.
