Moroccan Hand-Engraved Brass Tray Table on Folding Hardwood Base

A large round tray-top table in the Moroccan tradition, with a hand-engraved brass charger set atop a folding ebonized hardwood stand. The brass surface is densely chased across its full diameter with a central rosette radiating into an eight-point star, framed by concentric bands of geometric panels, stylized palmettes, and trailing foliate borders carried out to a scalloped, fluted rim. The engraving is freehand and rhythmic — the kind of dense, all-over work associated with Moroccan brassworkers whose tradition of ornamental metalsmithing traces through the medinas of Fès, Marrakech, and beyond. The brass carries a silver-toned interior surface consistent with tinning, a traditional technique used across North Africa to make vessels food-safe — a detail that points toward genuine working origin rather than purely decorative production.

The base is a classic X-form folding "spider" stand in dark-stained hardwood, its arched and curved legs joined by hinged stretchers that collapse flat for convenient transport. The tray lifts free of the stand, allowing the piece to serve as either a low coffee table or a removable serving charger — the dual function that defined this form across Morocco and throughout its mid-20th-century Western import trade.

CONDITION

Good with age-appropriate wear. The brass tray shows oxidation, areas of surface discoloration including green patina in the engraved channels, and scattered dents and dings to the fluted rim and field consistent with decades of use. The wood base shows paint and finish loss at the edges and feet — notably a section of peeling at one upper leg joint — but remains sturdy, with the hinged folding mechanism fully functional.

DIMENSIONS / SPECIFICATIONS

• Tray Diameter: 29"
• Wood Base: 14½" H × 27" W × 27" D
• Materials: Brass tray; ebonized hardwood base
• Tray lifts free of base
• Base folds flat for transport