An Artificers Guild silver tray

Price range: Sold

For sale is this rare silver tray by the Artificers Guild,  almost certainly designed by Edward Spencer. The tray is 25 cm diameter (9.75 inches), just large enough to take a tea set.  The rim of the tray is decorated with classic Guild wirework, the centre of the tray is deeply engraved with a tudor rose. The tray has a good hand hammered finish, with just the used area polished flat.  I have never seen a silver tray by the Guild before, creating a flat piece of silver by hand takes great skill and I suspect they tried to avoid this work. It is a good gauge.

The tray sits flat and is in excellent usable condition. There are some deepish scratches to the underside which could be polished out if required and a slight unevenness to the rim.

The Artificers Guild was originally established by Nelson Dawson along similar lines to Charles Ashbee’s Guild of Handicrafts but quickly changed ownership and from 1902 it’s chief designer became Edward Spencer who took over the firm as a limited company in 1909.

Maker: Artificers Guild

Designer: Edward Spencer (attrib)

Date :  1930

Marks: AsCoLd, London “p”

Material: Sterling silver

Condition: Excellent

Size: 25 cm diameter, 2.0cm high

Weight : 441 grams, 15.6 oz