Large Regency papier mache tray

A large Regency period papier mache tray decorated with a fox hunting scene; of large rectangular size with rounded corners the tray is beautifully painted with a fox running across an English landscape pursued by hounds and scarlet clad huntsmen who are emerging from a copse, the broad raised edge decorated with bamboo branches in gold. The back of the tray is stamped Dyson and Benson, London and surmounted by a crown.

Dyson and Benson had a short lived 'Royal Japan Manufactory' at 202, St. John's Street, Clerkenwell. The small group of trays that bare their stamp are beautifully hand painted and reflect the tastes of the early Regency period.

Literature

C. Gilbert (1986) The Pictorial Dictionary of Marked London Furniture, 1700-1840 fig. 304