Relevant categories: Silver Plate
Silverplate centerpieces have historically been used as decorative items that were part of the point of focus on a dining table. Some were even used to hold condiments and other key items required by the being sitting around the dinner table. It would sit in a position where all the people around the table could reach quickly.
While they are still important, centerpieces are today largely used as decorations and not functional purposes. Thus a silver plate centerpiece could hold fruits and be placed at the center of a table, merely as some kind of decoration. When displayed on plinths, the presentation pieces tend to have greater grandiose about them.
If you are not sure where to use a silver plate centerpiece, you should try making them a part of a formal event. As the guests go about eating their meal, all their eyes are fixated on the centerpiece. While the vessel itself is important, it is the form of decoration used that really matters. Not only will the guests notice a stunning centerpiece, but they will also be able to remember it for a long time to come.
Right from the 18th century, silver plate centerpieces were used as a vital part of formal dining events. They were used in Kings’ castles as well as houses of the common citizens. In that case, the type of centerpiece in use symbolized an individual’s social status and wealth and the silver plate centerpiece was perhaps the highest standard when it comes to dining décor.
But it was in Ancient Greece and Rome that the use of the centerpiece as a dining decoration came to the fore. Most of the early centerpieces were made using decorative plants and animals as a celebration of the seasons and nature in general. But it was the vessel itself that was considered more important than the natural elements it contained. And so it’s the temporal adornments such as these that have continued to define what a perfect centerpiece really is.
The Middle Ages saw a decline in the use of the centerpiece for decoration purposes, with the food being the most important element of the dining table. Decorations were the least on an entertainer’s mind. During Christmas celebrations, a well-preserved silver plate centerpiece would be used, together with evergreen foliage, to decorate the dining table.
From the late 18th century, people brought the centerpiece back to the dining table. The middle class and aristocracy of that time were hard pressed to display their status whenever they were hosting a dinner party. Through the Victorian and Edwardian ages, the silver plate centerpieces grew bigger and grander. At that time, the epergnes and candelabra were made to be wider, and taller. Most of them featured the heavy use of ornaments. Mainly used during large dinner parties during Easter or Christmas, silver plate centerpieces of the Victorian age could take the form of large bowls, multi-basket containers, sculpture or epergnes. While silver plate was the most preferred, some were made from glass, solid silver, bronze and ceramics.
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