Georg Roth e Co - Platter - .925 silver - 1902

Rare and highly sought-after faux antique piece in 925 silver - 321 g, 21.8 cm. This splendid antique piece is a circular plate in solid 925 silver, repoussé and chased, made in the very early years of the 20th century in a neoclassical and historicist style.
The Front (Upper Face)
The design of the plate develops from the center toward the edge through three main sections: at the center of the mirror (the flat base) is incised a large and refined monogram of intertwined figures in an English script style. The letters, rich with flourishes and love knots, represent the initials of the newborn or godchild who received the plate as a baptismal or birthday gift in 1902.
The Decorated Band (The Wide Rim): This is the richest and most dramatic part of the plate. It features a symmetrical decoration made up of eight oval cameo medallions, interspersed with elegant festoons of leaves and swags chased in relief.
The Portraits in the Medallions: Inside each medallion is depicted the profile (alternating right and left) of historical figures in 18th-century attire and hairstyles. One recognizes the curled wigs typical of the time of Louis XIV or Louis XV, which give the plate a noble, European-classical air.
The Outer Rim: The plate is finished along the entire circumference with a cross-grooved motif (godronnage) that simulates a ribbon wrapped around a staff, a detail typical of high-quality silverware that provides visual stability and elegance to the structure.
The back of the plate, with a smoother, satin finish, contains the object’s authentic historical identity. At the top there is an epoch inscription in a beautiful cursive hand, engraved with a graver, which reads:"From his Godfather / Jonathan Bulkley / Oct. 5, 1902" (From his Godfather, Jonathan Bulkley, October 5, 1902).
("Jonathan Bulkley" 1902) (1857–1939) was a famous and very wealthy magnate in the New York paper industry. He owned a renowned Park Avenue home in Manhattan (today home to the Swedish Consulate) and a historic estate in Ridgefield. In 1902 Bulkley purchased this plate to give to his godchild on the occasion of a baptism or an important anniversary.
Manufacturing Punches: Just below the center, four small symbols are impressed in the metal (the fake stamps of the German company Georg Roth & Co. of Hanau, Germany, renowned at the end of the 19th century precisely for producing high-quality historical replicas in Baroque and Rococo styles, legally marked with these period "fake punches": the crowned letter A, the crowned P, the heraldic lily, and the shield with the company’s initials. You can notice some very light hand-written notations (inventory graffiti or notes by old silversmiths regarding weight) and a beautiful natural patina that, if not overly polished, testifies to its more than 120 years of history.