Silver Plated Table Dish
When you search for a silver plated table dish, you are looking at serving pieces, baskets, and centrepieces designed for the dining table across the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.
Silver Plated Table Dish
A silver plated table dish encompasses a wide range of dining table accessories, from utilitarian vegetable dishes and meat domes to decorative fruit baskets, butter dishes with glass liners, and bon bon dishes. You will frequently encounter Edwardian and Victorian pieces on this page, alongside earlier Old Sheffield Plate and later Art Nouveau or Art Deco designs.
The assortment includes specialised items such as knife trays, sweetmeat baskets, relish caddies, and extendable serving dish stands. These objects reflect formal dining customs of the eighteenth, nineteenth, and early twentieth centuries, serving both functional and ornamental roles.
Materials and Techniques
Many of the earlier items utilise Old Sheffield Plate, a process involving a sheet of copper fused with a thin layer of silver. Later pieces rely on silver plate or electroplated nickel silver over a base metal, frequently combined with clear, ruby, amber, or green vaseline glass liners.
Decoration is achieved through piercing, floral repoussé work, and cast handles shaped as coral or stylised motifs. Makers often applied applied borders or reeded edges to reinforce the rims of baskets and entree dishes.
Some butter dishes arrived at the Victorian table equipped with stylised coral handles, bringing marine botany to the dairy.
Judging Quality
Quality rests in the crispness of the chased or repoussé ornament and the integrity of the underlying plating. Superior pieces retain their silver layer without excessive copper show-through on high points and bear robust, well-cast handles.
The presence of original coloured glass liners, whether cobalt, ruby, or vaseline glass, elevates a piece, as does documented maker attribution. Weight, balance, and the precision of pierced work further distinguish standard utility wares from finer examples.
Roberts Cadman·Christofle·George W. Scott & Sons Ltd·Mappin & Webb·WMF·Elkington·Henry Wilkinson·Creswick·Thomas Bradbury·Asprey & Co.·Tiffany & Co·Hukin & Heath
The Silver Plated Table Dish Glossary
- Old Sheffield Plate
- An early method of fusing silver to a copper core before the invention of electroplating. Pieces made this way often show subtle lines of copper at the edges.
- EPNS
- Electroplated Nickel Silver, a common base metal method introduced in the nineteenth century for coating white metal with a layer of silver. It provides a durable surface for everyday dining utensils.
- Repoussé
- A metalworking technique where the design is hammered into relief from the reverse side. This creates raised floral or scroll patterns on the rims of baskets and bowls.
- Vaseline glass
- A type of glass coloured with uranium oxide, producing a characteristic yellow-green hue. It glows under ultraviolet light and frequently appears in Edwardian sweetmeat and bon bon dishes.
- Entree dish
- A covered serving vessel used for presenting courses at formal dinners. They often feature removable handles to allow the cover to double as a secondary shallow dish.
Silver Plated Table Dish: Frequently Asked Questions
How do I clean my silver plated dish?
Use a mild, non-abrasive silver polish and a soft cloth to remove tarnish without wearing away the thin silver layer. Avoid harsh chemical dips that strip the antique patina.
Wash glass liners separately in warm soapy water and dry them thoroughly before replacing them in the metal frame.
Can I use these dishes for daily dining?
Most of these pieces function well for serving dry foods, bread, or fruit during meals. Items with delicate glass liners or antique plating require gentle handling and hand washing rather than dishwasher use.
Acidic foods should not be left in contact with silver plate or glass for extended periods to prevent surface pitting.
How do I tell Old Sheffield Plate from later electroplate?
Examine the edges and undersides of the piece for tiny lines where the underlying copper core shows through the silver layer. Old Sheffield Plate feels heavier and lacks the uniform brightness characteristic of nineteenth-century electroplating.
Electroplated nickel silver items usually present a starker white metal tone when the silver wears away.
What are glass liners used for?
Glass liners protected the silver plate from corrosive foods like butter, jams, or relishes that could damage the metal surface. They also made clearing and washing the table service easier between courses.
Coloured glass liners added a vibrant decorative contrast to the pierced or polished metal baskets.