[Judaica/0.800 Silver] Austria-Hungary/Vienna - 19th/20th century, ca. 1872–1922 - Tray for Kiddush Cups

Austria-Hungary – Silver tray for Kiddush cups – Vienna
Vienna, circa 1872–1922
Material: 800-fine silver
Technique: embossing, engraving, hallmarking
Dimensions: 30.5 × 30.5 cm
Weight: 43.88 g
A silver tray designed to hold small kiddush cups, used during the blessing over wine at the beginning of Shabbat and Jewish holidays.
The tray has a stylized oval shape, framed by a wide, raised rim with a repeatedly profiled, wavy outline. The edge is accented with a continuous, punched geometric ornament in the form of a stylized meander. The segmented rim gives the object a sculptural, late-historicist form.
The central part of the tray is occupied by a large, circular field covered with a precise guilloché-style engraving, formed of regularly repeating wavy lines. In the center is a round medallion depicting a stylized architectural view—a group of buildings with steep roofs and tower-like features, complemented by slender tree silhouettes. The medallion is surrounded by a wide border of symmetrically arranged scrolls, volutes, and stylized acanthus leaves. The individual decorative zones are separated by dotted borders.
The tray is hallmarked with Austro-Hungarian hallmarks indicating 800-fine silver and the Vienna assay office. The type of hallmarks used allows the object to be dated to the period around 1872–1922.
The elaborate composition, combining floral, geometric, and architectural motifs, is characteristic of Viennese Judaica from the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries. The large size allowed for a set of small cups to be placed on it, while the raised rim protected the tablecloth from spilled wine.
Condition: as shown in the photos.