Vintage Meneses Spanish Silverplate Serving Tray

There is a particular pleasure in a tray that does one job well. This Meneses serving tray is a generous oblong in bright silverplate, wide enough to carry a full coffee service, with molded scroll-and-shell mounts anchoring a pair of open loop handles. Meneses was one of Spain's great plate houses, founded in Madrid in 1840, and the English export mark on the reverse places this one in the mid-twentieth century. The form is clean and confident: a reeded rim, a broad flat well, nothing fussy.

[d]Maker | Meneses (Plateria Meneses), Madrid

[d]Material | Silverplate

[d]Origin | Spain

[d]Age | Vintage, mid-20th century, circa 1940 to 1970 on the maker's mark format and style

[d]Tray Size | 21.5 in. W x 14 in. D, handle to handle

[d]Depth | 1 in. at the rim

[d]Format | Twin-handled oblong serving tray

[d]Handles | Cast open loop handles on molded scroll-and-shell mounts

[d]Marks | Stamped MENESES SPAIN to the reverse

[d]Style | Mid-century, with earlier Rococo revival detail in the handle mounts

[condition]

Bright, clean plate overall with an even reflective surface. Light surface scratching runs through the well, the kind of fine wear that comes from normal serving use, most visible when the light rakes across it. A few small dark specks are scattered on the well. The rim edges and the raised high points around the handle mounts are the places most likely to show plate wear on a piece like this, so please check those closely in the photographs. The handles are crisp and the scroll-and-shell mounts are sharp. I am not making any claim about re-plating in either direction. Please review all photographs closely, as they form part of this description.

#162