Broggi of Milan — Mid Century Grand Oval Gallery Tray

Two centuries of Milanese silver, ready for your next aperitivo!

Polished. Poised. Pleasantly heavy!

Some trays carry drinks. This one carries two centuries of Milanese history. In 1818, Gaetano Broggi, opened his first workshop on Via dei Mercanti d'Oro, the street of the gold merchants (subtle, they were not). By 1872, King Victor Emmanuel II had granted Broggi the right to hang the royal coat of arms above the door as official supplier to the Royal House. The twentieth century took things up a notch. Broggi employed more than 500 artisans, and dressed the tables of Europe's ruling houses, grand hotels, and legendary ocean liners. Even Gio Ponti, the godfather of Italian design, created pieces for the house. In short, this tray comes from a family that has spent a very long time making dinner look glamorous.

Now, a word about the silver. This is not the whisper-thin plating you’ll find on so much of today’s decor, the kind that gives up after a few enthusiastic polishes. This is vintage Italian silver plate in the hotel tradition: a sturdy base metal, most likely brass or alpaca, dressed in silver and made to survive years of champagne service, clattering glasses, and waiters in a hurry. That explains the weight. Pick it up and you’ll feel it right away. That's character! Craftsmanship from an era when things were made to last, not to be replaced next season.

This vintage silver-plated beauty is almost half a metre of pure Milanese confidence. The design is classic Italian hotel and bar ware at its most elegant: a smooth oval gallery, a crisp rim, and two cut-out handles that make every entrance feel choreographed. Load it with crystal decanters, a bowl of olives, and one excellent glass, and your bar cart has a new star!

Signed BROGGI on the underside, where gentle swirls and marks tell of decades in service. Proof it has lived well. Che bello!

A little note on photographing silver
Silver is a diva in front of the camera. It reflects everything: the room, the lights, and, if we're not careful, our surprised faces staring back at us (not the look we're going for). To keep the attention on the piece, we shoot with large screens around it to control the reflections. But all that shine has one side effect: fine scratches, small nicks, and gentle signs of wear can hide in the glare and be hard to see in the photos. We always do our very best to show every piece as honestly as possible. Before anything leaves us, we polish it by hand, so what arrives at your door is always a beautiful, weighty piece with the soft patina of an object that has been used for decades and is still loved today!