Florentine trays

Florence has been gilding wood for six hundred years - first for altarpieces and picture frames, later for the trays that carried a household's coffee pot or calling cards. The technique is called pastiglia: gesso built up over carved wood, layer by layer, until a pattern of scrolls, rosettes and acanthus leaves stands in relief. Only then is it gilded and hand-painted, in the deep, saturated palette particular to this Florentine tradition - cobalt, forest green, oxblood, antiqued gold. Each tray is finished by hand, one at a time, so the gilding and brushwork carry small variations from piece to piece. That is the evidence of the hand, not a flaw in it.

Available in five hand-painted colourways: cobalt and cream, forest green, powder blue, oxblood and gold, and navy and gold. Oval and rectangular forms, sized for a console, a bar cart, or a breakfast tray.