George Shiebler Antique Sterling Silver Plate with Applied Animals, New York City, c. 1890

Another example of what makes Shiebler silver so great is this wonderful plate. Designs from this excellent firm are fantastic and unique. This rare plate may have been a child's plate or simply decorative.

The interior of the plate has a flat, shiny surface engraved 'CSM' in a lovely script style. The raised, wide border is an amazingly chased decoration of circular flowing grasses and leaves.

All the animal figures used are applied on this dramatic background. A large fox head is at the top opposite the figure of Pan playing his flute.

The scene above has a lion emerging from the grass while the scene below has a monkey seated in a lotus position. The figure of a snake travels around the plate with sections of its body weaving through the grass.

The design is just amazing. All the figures are washed with gold. The snake has a rose gold surface resembling copper.

This stunning small plate is marked on the back with Shiebler's trademark along with 'STERLING/ 2915'. It measures 7.75 inches in diameter, weighs 7.15 troy ounces and is in very good condition with wear to the gold highlights.