Antiquary & Expert CNES

This large tin dish, 57 cm in diameter, is much more than a utilitarian object: it is a sign of rank and family memory .

At the center, a sumptuous engraved cartouche unfurls its scrolling foliage around a shield adorned with initials — AIM, C✶G, LIM — surmounted by a noble crown and accompanied by two intertwined hearts , a delicate evocation of a union or alliance sealed at the end of the 17th century.
On the reverse, the date 1692 anchors the object in history, probably linked to a marriage or a major family event.

At that time, large pewter platters bearing coats of arms occupied a central place in the homes of notables, magistrates, or families close to the nobility. Displayed on a sideboard or presented on important occasions, they affirmed social status and the continuity of a lineage.

The fine engraving, the quality of the metal and the balance of the decoration make this dish a piece of character , as appealing to a collector as to a refined interior seeking an object full of meaning and history.

A representational work, somewhere between tableware and heraldry, a rare survival of the social customs of France during the Grand Siècle.

The metal is corroded on the right side of the rim.