Tin Charger with Ciselé Decoration, 1920s

 
 
Tin Charger with Ciselé Decoration
Sweden, early–mid 20th century
Tin, hand-engraved
Diameter approx. 28 cm
This circular tin charger is decorated with a finely ciselé central scene of a deer in motion, set within a lightly stylised landscape of foliage and grasses. The surrounding brim carries a bold geometric pattern, alternating between zig-zag motifs and feathered or scalloped forms. The combination of a naturalistic central vignette with a more rhythmically abstract border is characteristic of Scandinavian metalwork from the early to mid-20th century, when traditional folk imagery was often adapted into modernised, hand-worked designs.
 
 
 
 
 
Although the charger carries a clearly impressed maker’s stamp, the mark itself has not been matched to any documented Swedish pewter workshop. The shield-shaped outline with scalloped edging, combined with the initials that appear to read FJ and a small triangular emblem, is consistent with the marking style of smaller regional producers active from the 1920s to the 1950s. Its composition differs from the well-recorded stamps of larger firms, suggesting an artisan or provincial cooperative rather than an industrial manufacturer.