• An oval black decorative tray with hand-painted yellow flowers, green leaves, and small red berries, styled on a white surface next to a glass vase with dried flowers.
  • A black oval decorative tray with yellow and white floral patterns, styled on a white surface next to a vintage envelope bundle and a glass vase with dried leaves.
  • Close-up of a glossy black decorative tray or plate featuring hand-painted yellow flowers, white blossoms, green leaves, and red berries with gold vine scrollwork.
  • Close-up of a dark decorative tray or plate with hand-painted yellow flowers, white daisies, red berries, and gold vine details on a glossy black surface.
  • A large oval black serving platter or tray with a glossy finish, leaning against a white wall next to a green glass vase with dried white flowers.
  • A black oval decorative tray with a floral pattern, styled on a white surface with two clear champagne flutes, a bundle of vintage letters, and a green glass bottle vase with dried leaves.
  • A black oval decorative tray with yellow and white floral patterns, holding two clear champagne flutes, set on a white mantelpiece or shelf next to a glass vase with dried eucalyptus and a stack of vintage letters.
  • An oval black decorative tray with hand-painted yellow flowers, green leaves, and small white blossoms, leaning against a light wall next to a glass bottle with dried flowers.
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The Blue Loft

Mid Century Hand Painted Toleware Tray in Black with Yellow Pansies

£28.00
£28.00
Tax included. Shipping calculated at checkout.

This mid century metal tray was painted by hand, and it shows in the best way. The yellow pansies have soft, feathered petals, the white daisies sit in loose clusters, and sprays of red berries and ochre scrollwork run around the rim. Every brushstroke is visible when you tilt it to the light. The glossy black ground makes the colours sing, which is exactly why toleware painters have used it for two hundred years.

The elongated shape, with its gently angled ends, is unusual. Most painted trays are round or rectangular, so this one stands out on a table. We believe it dates from the 1960s or 1970s and the style of the flowers points to Eastern European or Russian origins, in the tradition of Zhostovo painting, though it is unmarked so we cannot say for certain.

It measures 48 x 28 x 2 cm, long enough to carry two glasses and a bottle across the garden, or to hold a row of candles along the centre of a dining table. We also like it propped upright on a shelf or mantelpiece, where the black lacquer adds a dark punctuation mark among lighter objects. On a white wall it works as a small piece of folk art in its own right.

Age has left its marks. There are scratches to the black surface in the centre where it has been used, a few small chips to the rim, and some light rubbing to the paint at the edges. None of this interferes with the flowers, which remain bright and unfaded. It is a tray that has been carried, filled and enjoyed, and it will carry on doing the same.

Pair it with a mid century glass vase, a stack of vintage cocktail glasses, or a bowl of lemons for a colour clash that just works. Hand painted trays of this shape and quality do not surface often, and we snapped this one up as soon as we saw it.
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An oval black decorative tray with hand-painted yellow flowers, green leaves, and small red berries, styled on a white surface next to a glass vase with dried flowers.
A black oval decorative tray with yellow and white floral patterns, styled on a white surface next to a vintage envelope bundle and a glass vase with dried leaves.
Close-up of a glossy black decorative tray or plate featuring hand-painted yellow flowers, white blossoms, green leaves, and red berries with gold vine scrollwork.
Close-up of a dark decorative tray or plate with hand-painted yellow flowers, white daisies, red berries, and gold vine details on a glossy black surface.
A large oval black serving platter or tray with a glossy finish, leaning against a white wall next to a green glass vase with dried white flowers.
A black oval decorative tray with a floral pattern, styled on a white surface with two clear champagne flutes, a bundle of vintage letters, and a green glass bottle vase with dried leaves.
A black oval decorative tray with yellow and white floral patterns, holding two clear champagne flutes, set on a white mantelpiece or shelf next to a glass vase with dried eucalyptus and a stack of vintage letters.
An oval black decorative tray with hand-painted yellow flowers, green leaves, and small white blossoms, leaning against a light wall next to a glass bottle with dried flowers.