Vintage Diné Sterling Silver Elegant Stamped Tray [SOLD]

Elegance is not a word usually applied to an ashtray but it is quite appropriate for this Navajo sterling silver example because of its workmanship and restrained stamped designs.  The deep bowl sits on its base without the addition of legs. The simple design concept is of a central motif, surrounded by a circle of design, and the repeat of that design on the edge that was then scalloped to conform to the design.  A pair of cigarette holders reflecting the rising sun completes the piece.

Ashtrays are not particularly popular in the twenty-first century but there was a time following World War II where cigarette smoking was an accepted pastime of the American public and ashtrays were essential. Today, however, sterling silver ashtrays are a souvenir of the past and are regarded as items of nostalgia of times of peace and prosperity in the United States. We look at such items as part of our history and periods of fond memories.

Condition: this Vintage Diné Sterling Silver Elegant Stamped Tray is in very good condition

Provenance: from the extensive collection of a client from Washington, D.C.

Recommended Reading:

- Masterworks and Eccentricities: The Druckman Collection

- Navajo and Pueblo Jewelry and Metalwork 1880-1950 by Robert Bauver

Relative Links: Diné of the Navajo Nation, Southwest Indian Jewelry: Silver Objects