A tray is a flat, shallow carrier with a raised rim or gallery, used for bringing food, drink, tea services and other items to the table or room. Antique trays were made in silver, Sheffield plate, brass, mahogany, papier-mâché, japanned tinware and lacquer, and range from small card or pen trays to large two-handled examples.
Eighteenth-century mahogany trays often have pierced or fretted galleries and brass handles, while butler's trays were designed to sit on folding stands as a portable serving table. The late Georgian and Victorian periods saw a great output of japanned and papier-mâché trays from the Midlands, especially Birmingham and Wolverhampton, decorated with gilding, painted flowers, landscapes and mother-of-pearl inlay. Silver and plated trays, often engraved with crests or presentation inscriptions, served as the centrepiece of the tea table. Collectors look for crisp decoration, original surfaces and sound construction, as japanned finishes can flake and wooden bases may split. In interiors today, antique trays are often used on ottomans or sideboards, mounted on stands as low tables, or hung on walls as decorative pieces.
