A salver is a flat heavy tray of silver, other metal or glass used for carrying or serving glasses, cups, and dishes at a table, or for the presenting of a letter or card by a servant.

In a royal or noble household the fear of poisoning led to the custom of tasting the food or beverage before it was served to the master and his guests; this was known as the assay of meat and drink, and in Spanish was called salva.

The verb salvar means to preserve from risk, from the Latin salvare, to save.
The term salva was also applied to the dish or tray on which the food or drink was presented after the tasting process.

This salver has  fierce dragon engraved on the plate of the salver against a lightly hammered background

The border has four more dragons appled to again the lightly hammered surface

In Chinese culture, five dragons symbolize different aspects of the world and are often associated with Feng Shui.

They can represent the five directions (North ,South ,East, West and Centre). Also the five elements (earth, water , fire, wood and metal) 

The very edge of the border has been worked with the bamboo motif –a symbol of virtue, representing virtues like honesty, humility, and loyalty

And remembering the original use for salvers – a great tasting plate!

Fine condition

Elegant perfection, the trumpet shaped vase just has a caste iris bloom wrapped around the column as decoration.

The iris flower carries significant symbolism, representing faith hope , courage  and wisdom

It’s also associated with divine guidance, strength, and renewal, with meanings that can vary based on color and variety.

In ancient Greece, the iris was linked to the goddess Iris, a messenger between heaven and earth, and was used in funerary rituals.

In France, the iris became the national symbol, the fleur-de-lis, and is also the February birth flower. 

This oval  tazza was made in China and then imported by Edward & Sons of Glasgow.  Just occasionally we are lucky enough to find pieces with import marks.

The firm was established in 1838 by George Edward, they lasted 125 years until they were acquired by Mappin & Webb in 1963 (Culme, Directory of Gold & Silversmiths, page 136). They were a prestigious firm, they supplied the Freedom Casket awarded by the City of London to African explorer Stanley in 1887.  They were appointed to the crown

Over the years I have found several pieces of Chinese Export silver with import marks for Edwards & Sons – always of the finest quality and this tazza reflects this standard

Bamboo and dragons are worked within corded lorgnettes in intricate detail.  The bamboo motif has been chased and pierced on the oval foot

Bamboo symbolises strength , reslience , flexibility and longevity

Dragons symbolise symbolizes power, good fortune, and strength and are associated with auspicious traits like intelligence, ambition and charisma

I hate to use the word “awesome” but this is an awesome piece

The set of twelve spoons are still in the original cerise pink silk lined box – a bit battered buthten aren’t we all?

The spoons are in the rattail design-  a traditional style of tableware known for its elegant simplicity and historical charm. Characterised by a subtle raised ridge, or “tail”, on the reverse side of the cutlery handle, it has been a favourite among discerning diners for centuries.

Learn more about rattail flatware 

This set, by the silversmtih George Adams  is bright cut engraving enhancing the elegant sinlicity of the design

This salver dates from the very early years of Queen Victoria’s reign and already we can see how styles have changed but also the thickness of the silver.  The wars were over and so there was now more money for luxury goods – this weight and style of this salver reflects very  much these changes in circumstances

Naturalistic elements were popular in this period and here you can see the flowers and entwined foliage that form the border.   Look , too, at the wonderful chased detail on the plate of the salver

The detail on the feet is also extra- again flowers and foliage

By the way :  A salver is not a tray .  Follow the link to find out why a salver is not a tray!

This salver could be used to serve drinks and food, grapes with cheese or as a centre piece on a table.  Originally it may well have been put on hall table to impress the people dropping by and leaving their calling cards

Fine weight ,by well regarded silversmiths, Barnard Bros , the condition is exceptional – the salver is almost 200 years old

The round melon  bodies of the pieces have been repousse worked with dragons.

In Chinese culture, the dragon is a potent symbol of power, strength, good fortune and prosperity.  The foreigner who commissioned this tea set was clearly hoping for all these auspicious wishes 

The bamboo motif has been used for the handles , finials and also on the rim of each piece.

Bamboo is a powerful symbol in many cultures, representing a range of positive qualities like strength , flexibility ( it bends in the wind and comes back), strength, resilience and good luck- so more auspicious wishes 

The sugar and cream retain the original gilding

This is very attractive tea set by the well known silversmith Luen Wo.  Do look on the lid of the tea pot – a dragon’s head.  I have never seen that before

To be used and displayed

We have managed to find quite a range of boxes.  The three in the photograph are just a sample!

The box in the centre is Japanese Export silver and is a jewllery box with the original velvet lining

The scene box is particularly fine work. Worked on the lid and sides each panel has a different and finely detailed scene

The dragon box is a good size and again the detail is very crisp

We have more – drop by to choose! and see the quality

Hallmarked 1896 it is officially a Victorian piece of silver but the shape and the pierced detail at the top show the growing influence of the Art Nouveau period.

By the renowned firm, Walker & Hall, it is a fine weight and in excellent condition

It could be used as centre piece with flowers or as in this case as a fruit bowl

And it is affordable!!

Made for the man about town around 100 years ago , its classic form and quality makes it the perfect gift for the man about town today

The oval shape has a removable cup – so the man about town can share?

Both the top and the bottom of the flask are decorated with an applied four clawed dragon

Dragons symbolise power, wisdom, and prosperity.  In this case the dragons are four clawed.  Five claws were reserved for only the Emperor and four claws were for important mandarins in the imperial court.  For some reason the pesky foreigners also rated four claws sometimes  as is the case in this hip flask

Great fun and very rare!

As is usual with Indian silver it is unmarked but the quality and the style and the detailed scenes are typical of the renowned silversmiths from Lucknow.

Lucknow silver had three major motifs: the jungle, with groves of date palms and various animals, such as dogs, bears, deer and birds; coriander leaves and flowers; and hunting scenes, with lions, tigers, and horses. This presentation bowl is an excellent example of all these features

Look at the photo with the champagne bottle and you will see a rhinoceros – really unusual. And I think those maybe elephant feet that are sticking out at the sides?

This Indian silver bowl was crafted at the time when the British Raj was powerful and this powerful bowl makes an ideal centre piece but is also the perfect size as a wine or champagne cooler

A flamboyant bowl from a flamboyant era