Sheffield plate, mirror base, Sheffield?, ca.1810

'Sheffield plate', oblong with rounded ends, in three parts, resting on eight pairs of tapering feet, each supporting a panel of anthemion (a type of floral ornament that recalls a palm leaf) slightly projecting beyond the rim, which is pierced with arcading.

Bequeathed by Miss M.B. Hudson

Miss M.B. Hudson Bequest

Historical significance: This is a particularly fine example of a mirror plateau. The process of fusing silver to copper, patented as 'Sheffield plate', provided customers with tablewares that were as visually dazzling as silver, but at a lower price. Yet despite the difference in materials and value, silver and Sheffield plate were appreciated alike as luxury items.

The silver mirror plateau as an adornment for the centre of the table was adopted in England as another French refinement of dining practice. Introduced about 1750, the mirror plateau was a more practical alternative to the water features that adorned the tables of the European aristocracy. They also reflected candlelight and tableware, thereby raising light levels during an evening dinner and giving the illusion that there were more vessels and foodstuffs laid out before guests. In the grandest homes, they became a standard feature on tables, in the prosperous decades after 1800. Candelabra, dessert stands and comports (a type of dessert dish raised on a stand) could be disposed elegantly on the plateau and benefit from the extra sparkle from the mirrored surface. By this period the plateau stayed on the table throughout the meal. Although plateau fell out of favour for a short period in the mid 19th century by the 1870s, in England at least, they were fashionable again.

The silver mirror plateau as an adornment for the centre of the table was adopted in England as another French refinement of dining practice. Introduced about 1750, the mirror plateau was a more practical alternative to the water features that adorned the tables of the European aristocracy. In the grandest homes, they became a standard feature on tables, in the prosperous decades after 1800. Candelabra, dessert stands and comports (a type of dessert dish raised on a stand) could be disposed elegantly on the plateau and benefit from the extra sparkle from the mirrored surface. By this period the plateau stayed on the table throughout the meal. Although plateau fell out of favour for a short period in the mid 19th century by the 1870s, in England at least, they were fashionable again.

M.334:1 to 3-1922