Einar & Sune Bäckström Bronze Platter

A large solid bronze platter with scroll handles, designed and made by brothers Einar & Sune Bäckström, Sweden, circa 1934.

Combined, the date, material, large size, and design, of this tray make it a highly unusual piece. Wooden trays became fairly commonplace in the mid-twentieth century, when front- and backstages merged. However, sizeable trays from the Art Deco period, which weren’t for drinks, are few and far between. That said, this tray isn’t for transporting a family meal from the kitchen to the dining room. Rather, this object is intended to showcase something special, be that exotic fruit or fine confectionery. 

This opulent objects function takes inspiration from antiquity, when theatrics were expected. The aesthetics of the tray are also inspired by classicism, which then fully reveals this piece as part of the Swedish Grace movement.

The design of this large, subtly concave, circular dish is straightforward yet extremely elegant. Typical of Swedish Grace design, the tray's simple lines are enhanced by exquisite details and subtle nods to ancient motifs. For instance, the perfect angular connection between the dish and the carrying handles, before the handles flow off to wrap around the poles at the terminus, brings to mind the platters used at banquets in Ancient Greece.

Being made of solid cast bronze, this item could be used when and however one fancied, but it also looks fantastic empty as a decorative piece.