Kalo Shop Hand Wrought Arts & Crafts Sterling Silver Tray, Chicago, Illinois, c. 1920's

An excellent example of American arts & crafts silver, this beautiful Kalo tray features the hammered surface and shaped sides for which the shop was so famous.  Oval in form, it has raised edges that flare outward at the top and has an applied wire band around the edge to add subtle decoration and also strengthen the piece. The Kalo Shop is known for its hammered surfaces and creative, forward looking arts & crafts designs.  It was started by Clara Barck Welles who was 'known for her fair employment practices and for giving opportunities to women to become metalsmiths'.1 This rare tray is marked underneath 'STERLING/ HAND WROUGHT/ AT/ THE KALO SHOP/ 38L'.  It measures 17 inches wide by 10.25 inches deep, weighs an impressive 33.25 troy ounces, has never been engraved and is in lovely antique condition. Our Price: $2,600.00 Item code: l136   1.  Sharon S. Darling, Chicago Metalsmiths, (Chicago: Chicago Historical Society, 1977), p. 48.