Antique Entree Dishes
Antique entree dishes bring grand nineteenth-century dining to the table, offering versatile covered service for formal meals.
Antique Entree Dishes
Antique entree dishes encompass covered serving vessels, warming dishes, and sauce tureens designed for formal dining tables across the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. These pieces appear most frequently in Edwardian silver-plated iterations alongside earlier Georgian and Victorian examples.
Makers produced rectangular, oval, and circular vessels, often featuring detachable handles or stands to keep food warm during lengthy meals. The selection ranges from simple serving dishes to elaborate double rollover designs and complete supper sets with lampstands.
Materials and construction
Silversmiths utilised sterling silver alongside Old Sheffield Plate, a technique fusing a thin sheet of silver to a copper base. Later Victorian and Edwardian pieces frequently employed electroplated nickel silver, commonly known as EPNS, providing a durable metallic coating over a nickel alloy.
Construction involved heavy stamping, casting for handles and feet, and skilful soldering to assemble multi-part warming stands and lidded tureens. Makers incorporated subtle copper bleed lines on older plated items and applied engraved crests or armorials by hand.
Antique Entree Dishes Retail Price Guide 2026
Typical asking prices for entree dishes among the pieces listed under this phrase on Sellingantiques today, from the lower quarter to the upper quarter. They describe what is for sale here now, not the wider market.
The inventory includes specialised forms such as revolving breakfast dishes, egg warmers, and fitted supper sets with original lampstands.
Evaluating the pieces
Quality rests in the weight of the metal and the crispness of cast borders, handles, and applied crests. Substantial vessels maintain their shape and plating integrity through decades of use, whereas thinner pieces show base metal telegraphing through worn surfaces.
The sophistication of the mechanical design separates standard production from superior work. Smoothly operating revolving lids, original warming burners, and intact fitted stands distinguish the finest examples.
Hamilton and Inches·Mappin and Webb·Edward and John Barnard·Walker and Hall·Elkington·Matthew Linwood·William Hutton and Sons·Cresswick·Dan Holy·Christofle Gallia
The Antique Entree Dishes Glossary
- Old Sheffield Plate
- A composite material created by fusing a layer of silver onto a copper ingot before rolling them into sheets. This early plating method often reveals thin lines of copper along exposed edges.
- Electroplated Nickel Silver
- A modern plating method abbreviated as EPNS, developed in the nineteenth century. An electrical current deposits a thin layer of pure silver onto a nickel brass or copper alloy base.
- Entree Dish
- A covered vessel designed to hold side dishes or secondary courses at the dining table. These pieces often feature removable lids that double as secondary serving platters.
- Tureen
- A deep serving bowl with a fitted lid, utilised for soups, sauces, or vegetables. Sauce tureens represent smaller scaled versions intended for table condiments.
- Warming Dish
- A specialised vessel featuring a double-walled base or an under-compartment for hot water or burning fuel. These items maintained food temperatures during lengthy multi-course meals.
Antique Entree Dishes: Frequently Asked Questions
What is an antique entree dish used for?
These vessels served cooked meats, vegetables, and secondary courses at formal dining tables, keeping food warm beneath fitted covers.
Today, they function as elegant serving pieces for dinner parties or as decorative containers on sideboards.
How do I clean antique silver plated dishes?
Wash the items gently using warm water and a mild, non-abrasive dish soap, drying them thoroughly with a soft cloth. Avoid harsh chemical dips that strip the remaining silver plating and damage underlying base metals.
Store them in a dry environment and use specialised silver cloths periodically to maintain the shine without scrubbing.
What is the difference between Old Sheffield Plate and EPNS?
Old Sheffield Plate involves physically fusing silver to copper through heat and pressure before rolling, creating a rich texture with subtle copper edges. EPNS utilises an electrical chemical process to bond silver onto a nickel alloy base.
Pieces made with Old Sheffield Plate generally date from the Georgian era, while electroplating became dominant during the Victorian period.
Can I use warming dishes with modern fuel?
Original burners and water compartments were designed for nineteenth-century heating methods, such as spirit burners or boiling water. Modern users typically fill water chambers with hot water rather than lighting historical burners to preserve the delicate mechanisms.
Caution prevents damaging soldered joints or scorching the vintage metal surfaces.