Romantic Souvenir Featuring Marie-Antoinette – Late 19th Century Decorative Tray
This charming octagonal tray embodies all the allure of late 19th-century historical souvenirs. At its center is a delicate portrait of Marie-Antoinette, the tragically fated Queen of France, surrounded by rich textile decoration made of pleated silk ribbons shaped into small roses, gilded metallic lace, and small satin leaves.
The entire piece is preserved under a flat glass pane, held within its tapestry-covered cardboard-wood frame, typical of period display objects.
This precious object reflects the elegance of a time when people loved to dream of Versailles, of powdered grace and pastel ribbons, an era when the taste for the Ancien Régime remained very strong: Marie-Antoinette appeared as a romantic, almost martyred figure, often evoked in souvenir objects, ladies' trinkets, or creations from girls' boarding schools. This type of tray was not used as a utilitarian tray, but as a display or drawing-room object, often homemade or semi-industrial, and sometimes given as a souvenir, tribute, or as part of historical memorabilia (very fashionable in the 19th century).
📅 Period: circa 1880–1900
📐Dimensions: 22.5 cm x 22.5 cm with a thickness of 3.7 cm, weight 419 g.
🎨 Materials: paper, silk, gilded metallic threads, fabric, flat glass
🪞Condition: very decorative – visible patina of time on textiles, some signs of wear consistent with age. Glass in good condition (note: a small scratch on the glass and a small white mark under the glass, see photo).
Unique piece – for collectors of sentimental objects or enthusiasts of the 18th century.
Free delivery in Belgium, France, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg.
Careful shipping.