Arts and Crafts – Copper Tray with Swimming Fish and Wavy Edges (c.1910)

Copper tray, Arts and Crafts movement, c.1910, with engraved fish and folded wavy edges, hammered surface and patinated finish.

This copper tray, made during the Arts and Crafts movement c.1910, displays the expressive handwork and naturalistic design typical of English domestic metalware of the period. The surface is decorated with two stylised swimming fish engraved in shallow relief across a hammered field, their forms gently rippling through the metal.

The outline is elongated and softly contoured, the edge folded under to form a continuous wavy rim that strengthens the perimeter while maintaining an organic flow. The chasing is crisp but understated, designed to catch light across the textured surface rather than create deep relief. The metal retains its original warm patina with traces of oxidation consistent with age.

This piece embodies the Arts and Crafts ideal of unity between form and decoration, where the subject drawn from nature is expressed directly through the craft process. Modest in scale yet finely observed, it represents the quiet dignity of handmade domestic objects from the early twentieth century.