1930s
silver
26” x 21” (66 cm x 53 cm)
weight: 3209g

Provenance:
Manila

Although the Philippines did not have silver mines, the silversmith’sart flourished in the islands during the Spanish Colonial Period. Millions of silver pesos from Mexico poured into thecolony during the two and a half centuries of the Galleon Trade Era. As exports grew in the 19th century upon the opening of Philippine ports to world trade, the amount of silver going into the economy increased.

Tons of silver were made into decorative objects for the hundreds of churches in the colony, while wealthy households melted their surplus coins and had them fashioned into tableware and objects for personal use and adornment. In all cases, locally-made objects of silver were not marked as they were in the rest of the world. This was because silver coins were melted down and used in making these objects, and the quinta del rey, the 20% tax, had been paid when the coins were minted.

Unfortunately, the craft of making silver objects for household use declined during the American Colonial Period, as more elaborately-designed American flatware and hollowware were imported by the leading stores along the Escolta.

It is surprising, therefore, to find a Philippine-made tray as large and as well made as the one above. Meant to be used as a fruit tray, the rippling waves are reminiscent of a shell alluding to a cornucopia or horn of plenty. The highly-embossed and chased foliate spray on either side is decorated with a fern and sampaguita blossoms, giving the piece a decidedly Philippine look. From the look of it, the piece must have been commissioned by someone who had traveled to Paris in the 1930s and been enthralled by the Art Deco Style so prevalent there.