Britannia Silver Irish Dish Ring, 1902

This is a wonderful example of a large Irish silver dish ring. It has a charming pierced and chased design depicting rural life and featuring a piper with cows amidst trees and a pair of swans on a woodland pond. These rural scenes are typical of these uniquely Irish pieces.

This is a large dish ring with an 8.5" diameter and was hallmarked in London in the early 20th century for the Dublin retailer Maurice Freeman in the higher purity Britannia Standard silver. It is in superb condition with a large vacant cartouche to both sides. 

Dish rings were first made in Ireland during the mid-18th century. They were meant to hold hot plates and prevent scorching to the polished surfaces of sideboards and dining tables. Dish rings were revived at the end of the 19thC and early 20th Century and were generally replicas of the Georgian originals.