Tray (stand)

Trays are usually used to serve food or to carry empty dishes. Sometimes, however, a more decorative version is used to serve desserts and fruit. They then serve as serving platters, although without the base that raises the flat plate or bowl above the table surface. Both forms of tableware are essential for sumptuous parties and family gatherings. Made of precious metals, they not only provide additional decoration to the table but are also non-toxic when in direct contact with food. Owning this type of richly decorated tableware made of the finest metals was indicative not only of wealth but also of the taste of the owner. The 2nd half of the 19th century was marked by economic development, which, not least, affected the prosperity of the bourgeoisie. The demand for luxury products, a manifest symbol of wealth was on the rise. This trend could also be observed in Szczecin, where the number of jeweller's shops increased in addition to confectionery shops for men and women or shops selling colonial products. The round silver tray with a floral design around the edge, also used as a platter, comes from the pre-war jeweller's shop of Wilhelm Schellmann (18..-1926), located in a building at Kohlmarkt 9 in Szczecin's Old Town, which no longer exists today. Formerly known as the Coal Market situated between today's ul. Mariacka and ul. Farna, this was where charcoal used to be traded. The jeweller made jewellery in gold, as well as ornamental vessels in silver. The featured piece was donated to the museum by Schellmann's descendants in 2006. Małgorzata Peszko