{"product_id":"black-hand-painted-metal-tray-with-floral-motive","title":"Mid Century Hand Painted Toleware Tray in Black with Yellow Pansies","description":"\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003eThis 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003eThe 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003eIt 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003eAge 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003ePair 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.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"The Blue Loft","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":54902177038663,"sku":null,"price":28.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0850\/3921\/9015\/files\/F5AFC406-B297-4496-ACCD-D2DADF827790.jpg?v=1788693650","url":"https:\/\/www.theblueloft.co.uk\/products\/black-hand-painted-metal-tray-with-floral-motive","provider":"The Blue Loft","version":"1.0","type":"link"}