Featured Victorian tray

Greetings,

I wasn’t sure where “home accessories” would fall into on the forums. Please forgive me if this isn’t the right place to post this one.

I’m considering purchasing this item which is listed as a Victorian Tray. The seller says it’s vintage. It’s composed of wood, brass and glass. The inside lining is linen. The back is brown leather.

I would like opinions if what we are seeing here is consistent with something in the victorian era. It looks newer to me but still attractive enough that I want to make an offer. Finally, where in a home would this have gone in? A lavatory? A kitchen?

Thoughts?

 

Hi,
I wonder if some has replaced the linen under the glass. The frame looks old but that spotless linen just looks wrong to me.
greg

 

Which is why I have an impression of it being newer. The stitching also looks too precise to be hand done.

 

The leather looks like off a roll ...and real leather? The embroidery color choices to me are odd for the time period...but idk for sure. Handles look cast...I am going with my gut...made to look old, but isn't.

I believe it is a tea tray. Can we have the size please?

 

Size listed as 17”3/4 x 11”1/4 and 3/4” deep.

 

Add to Favorites

• 

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

Curiopolis
5 out of 5 stars
(300) 300 reviews
Lefkara Lace Da Vinci With Diamonds Serving Tray Vintage Handmade Traditional Embroidered Decorative Arts Home Decor Wooden Tray


Sold
Item details
Vintage from the 1930s

STORIED PAST AND SUPERIOR CRAFT UNDERLIES LACEMAKING LEGEND

DETAILS ~ Antique Lefkara Embroidered Lace Serving Tray
Condition: MINT; lace shows minimal wear, if any, and minimal handling; wooden tray and framing elements also in superb condition; slight tarnish to brass or gold tone handles
Date Range: 1960-1980s
Dimensions: LACE, size shown, length, 11 3/4;” width, 6 1/4;” TRAY, length, handle-to-handle, 15;” width, 8 1/2;” depth, 5/8”
Maker: Signed “Guarantee Hand Made Lefkara Lace, Made in Lefkara, Cyprus, Irish Linen - French Thread"

In a small village on the southern slopes of the Troodos Mountains in Cyprus, the women of Lefkara have been creating exquisite handmade lace for centuries. Believed to have developed as early as the 12th century, Lefkaritiko (also, at times, Lefkaritika) is a complex folk art with a storied history.

Primarily used to decorate household linens such as tablecloths and curtains, Lefkara lace features a cutout pattern reinforced at the edges and adorned with buttonhole, overcast and picot stitches. The cutout “grids” customarily are surrounded by complementary patterns that feature embroidery comprised of surface and counted stitches.

The pattern on this piece is known as Da Vinci with Diamonds, likely one of many designs featuring a reference to one of the most famous legends about Lefkara. Visiting the region as a guest of Queen Ekaterini Cornaro in 1481, Da Vinci is believed to have acquired a Lefkaritiko altar piece that he gave to the Cathedral of Milan upon his return. In some tellings, Da Vinci’s gift roused great interest in Lafkara lace, so much so that skilled lacemakers from the region reportedly migrated to Italy to cater to demand, ultimately playing a key role in the launch of the Venetian lace industry.

Lefkara lace is handmade with simple tools. Originating as a thread-knotting technique akin to macramé, early methods evolved into a sophisticated art form that requires nimble movements, the expert tossing of bobbins over and under the piece, very slender needles, a small pillow and a ruler.

The elegant Da Vinci with Diamonds design preserved under glass in this lovely tray displays the needle pointing cutout technique and handsome geometric embroidered details for which this impressive handiwork is known. With its beautiful diamond emblem comprised of 72 needle-pointed circles and set against the vibrant red background of the frame, this pattern provides a superb example of the decorative allure of this rarified art form. The diamond surrounds a four-square cutout motif embellished with inset criss-cross bows and surface stitching. The border of this piece features leaf designs in sage green embroidered on the pale Irish linen as well as six smaller variations on the central motif.

In superb condition, the Lefkaritiko preserved in this tray shows minimal signs of wear, if any. The wooden tray, which appears also to be handmade, is also in excellent shape, showing only minor wear and some light tarnish on the brass or gold tone handles. Signed “Guarantee Hand Made Lefkara Lace, Made in Lefkara, Cyprus, Irish Linen - French Thread." The character of the linen, the age and styling of the frame as well as the typography on the label likely date this piece to the second half of the 20th century.

BRIEF HISTORY OF LEFKARITIKO
Originally created largely for ecclesiastical purposes, production of Lefkaritiko evolved into the primary industry in the village and, in some accounts, by the 16th century the craft inspired the development of the Venetian lace industry. During a brief period of Venetian rule, vacationing nobles drawn to the cool climate for summer vacations discovered the rich appeal of the lace. Demand for its world class quality grew and local production flourished, in turn fostering markets and manufacturers in Italy, England and Belgium.

Lefkara’s idiosyncratic art form continues to attract thousands of visitors to the village each year and promotes a thriving tourist destination for enthusiasts who come to watch the women work in their traditional lacemaking circles.

 

Interesting find. What to believe, though? "Vintage from the 30's" + "Date Range 1960-1980s"

 

It looks 1960s-70s to me. Nice find BMRT.

 

I think for the right price it would be a rather handsome addition. Who knows when it was made.

 

It would, it is nicer than the one in the link. Is the price right for a relatively recent piece?

 

This was was listed at $59 including the shipping. I looked on eBay for current offerings and the seller doesn’t look to be too far off with what they listed it as. I can make an offer and see where we go from here.

 

I caught that too... 1930's but yet 1960-80's...
The only thing I gleaned out of that when I had done some research is that the doily is hand made by women earlier perhaps and the tray was purchased to showcase it at a later date.

 

Definitely a matter of personal taste, but if I were to buy a Lefkara tray (can remember these sold for 1980s 'Victorian Revival' decor), would prefer this one at half the price, with a less awkward shape, and to my eye, a more attractive motif, though just embroidery rather than lace: https://www.ebay.com/itm/Wooden-Tra...649707?hash=item1cda9a9b6b:g:axQAAOSwKVZdlQh5


Here's one in a frame like yours, with label on the same backing, sold on Goodwill's site: https://www.shopgoodwill.com/Item/75593693


I've sold a number of these frame-trays over the years, sometimes replacing a damaged interior with a nice piece of lace or needlework - have also made them from repurposed picture frames, not a new idea, it was suggested as a home craft in the 1920s, when similar commercially produced pieces were very popular, the center with various decorative materials. I kind of like this old piece: https://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-19...696721?hash=item56d27e8e11:g:y1QAAOSwfEJeDPlQ


And always kind of like the milkweed-fiber backed pieces if they haven't deteriorated badly with age: https://www.ebay.com/itm/VINTAGE-MI...:4xMAAOSwkIdbviYt:sc:USPSPriority!32789!US!-1


We buy what appeals to us, so no one can tell you that it's a good or bad choice - that you like it is what's important..


~Cheryl

 

Another example with the label on.

 

Sad article: https://www.thenationalherald.com/220510/a-stitch-in-time-cyprus-lefkaritiko-lace-faces-grim-future/

~Cheryl

 

Oh that is so sad to read.

A sign of the times. There are so many endangered artisan traditions and crafts simply because of cost and lack of interest.

 

I've had some of those trays, sans the label. Assumed they were 60s ish, but I'd not made the Cyprus connection. Makes sense, given how many Brits go there.

 

Don't really remember the pieces being particularly expensive many years ago, know I bought Mom some placemats and napkins at a Greek shop here in Florida, just because I thought they were pretty and well-made...

~Cheryl