Large Late 18th Century Irish Mahogany Butler’s Tray on

The National Museum of Ireland notes that the opening up of trade worldwide in the 18th century was one of the reasons for the increased wealth among the merchant classes and landed aristocracy in the country. With elegant Georgian houses springing up in both urban and rural settings, “their nouveau rich owners patronized skilled craftsmen,” it adds. It was a time when mahogany from the West Indies became the preferred wood with which to decorate one’s home.; Trade and other contacts with distant lands led to a keen interest in discovering different foods and spices. This then led to a heightened interest in dining as a pleasurable experience as well as a way to impress others and increase one’s social standing. This in turn meant an increased importation of glass, porcelain and silverware, especially for large and elaborate dining experiences. Finally, all of these items had to be housed and utilized in and on specially made furniture, from dining tables to cabinets to trays for resting and serving large quantities of food.; In wealthier households, a grand dining experience could last many hours and run to dozens of dishes. The Irish museum quotes an 18th century woman writer, Mary Granville, as noting that “I have not seen less than 14 dishes of meat for dinner and seven for supper during my peregrinations.” Therefore, a large tray such as this one was an important element in the Georgian home to help with both the serving of food and the removal of dishes.; This gorgeous late-18th century mahogany tray is beautiful as well as functional. There are four oval cutouts, one on each side, so as to facilitate the easy handling of this large piece. Yet the cutouts also serve as a decorative part of the tray’s rim. On the corners, which are dovetailed, scallop shapes echo the those of the handles. Two partial labels from the Irish manufacturer remain on the bottom of the tray. One reads: “(?)verly (?)myth & Son, Furniture Warehousemen, (?)uth Anne Street, Dublin.”* The smaller label reads: (?) & Beatty, Ltd., furnishers, (?)reet, Dublin.” Irish woodworkers were world-renowned for their craftsmanship when this tray was produced.; One of the nicest characteristics of this tray is its dark, rich warm color that can only be achieved over the course of over 200 years. This was a well-cared-for tray as evidenced by the lack of major marks or damages. The patina also has given the tray a beautiful glow. The large darkened area on the surface adds to its antique character.; As with many of this type of early serving tray, most homes no longer need or have a large staff put them to use, and while still valued for their beauty, they can have multiple uses. This one was put upon a custom-made stand at some time to function more as a coffee table near a sofa. This exceptionally large tray makes it a perfect one.; I have had the tray professionally polished and therefore it is ready to use. Considering its age and former use, it is in excellent condition.; It measures 33-1/2 inches wide, 22-1/2 inches deep and 19-1/2 inches high overall.; *I conjecture that the tray, from deciphering the larger label, was at one time in the hands of Beverly Smyth & Sons, a Dublin moving firm. The firm is still in existence, and their website offers a short history of the firm. This history notes that Beverly Smyth, “a visionary of his time,” founded the company in 1846. .; The seven-year-long Irish Potato Famine began in 1845, taking the lives of a million men, women and children. During this terrible time more than a million other people were able to emigrate, the company’s history states, “through necessity, relocating lock stock and barrel to the four corners of the world, creating what is known as the Irish Diaspora.” It is well-recorded that many went to North America, but others found it easier to move to Great Britain. It is my theory, then, although this tray was made decades earlier, that this firm of “warehousemen” moved it, along with its owners’ other household goods, to England during this time of great migration. It came from the estate of a lady in the south of England.

Reserve: $1,000.00

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