Large mid-18th-century silver salver

An elegant silver salver made during the early reign of King George III in the mid 18th century. The style, with its pagoda shell and French gadroon applied, cast border, typifies the end of the baroque period and the introduction of the neoclassical influenced era.

The salver is mounted on three ball-and-claw supports and is engraved within a central cartouche featuring the marital coat of arms of Wilkes and Fiske. These arms undoubtedly commemorate the marriage of Hope Wilkes of Lofts Hall in Essex and Martha Ann Fiske, eldest daughter of Reverend Robert Fiske of Wendens Ambo, Essex.

An ideal size to use as a drinks tray or to serve canapés and petit fours; but beautiful and practical displaying a decanter and glasses.

The serving trays we know today is an evolution of the salver, which was a term used in England from the mid-seventeenth century to denote a flat tray without handles, usually made of silver. Like this example, some salver designs featured supporting feet - usually three or four.

The word salver derives from the Latin salvare meaning to save. Originally, food or drink intended for royalty would be initially tasted by a servant for signs of poison before it reached the royal top table. Being served on the salver indicated that this process had taken place and the food and drink was now fit for a king.

Salvers later became commonplace in aristocratic and wealthy homes and Samuel Pepys is recorded as an owner of a salver, signifying his high social standing.