Plate heating oven

This object resembling a roll is a former part of equipment of wealthy households. Its purpose was to improve the comfort of everyday life and, literally, to prolong the relevant temperature of served meals. Made of steel sheet, it has a pair of doors and two steel plate racks inside; at the bottom, there is a space where the heating mechanism was placed. Four wheels installed at the bottom allowed hosts to relocate the oven to any place according to their needs. Its relocation was possible also thanks to two circle-shaped brass handles suspended on horizontally attached knobs. From the present-day perspective, the food heating oven can be regarded as a redundant item of household equipment, but in the context of former circumstances, its usability seems more justified. We must remember that in the age of the lack of central heating, when fireplaces were the only source of heat, interiors of houses did not have a uniform temperature and the heat was concentrated in their area. Two racks in the oven made it possible to heat several plates, thus allowing them to retain the relevant temperature and exquisite taste for much longer.

The manufacturer’s identification mark has survived on the oven: on the oval tin stamp, we can read: MAISON VICTOR CHEVALIER ET FILS / CHEVALIER, LEQUIN ET CIE / MANUFACTURIERS À PARIS / 252 PLACE DE LA BASTILLE. The detailed parameters of the indicated manufacturer as well as other products created under its brand have not been found so far.