Ghent, 1720-30, Ioannes Smidts, Polylobed Round Dish Or Tazza In Sterling Silver

Pretty polylobed presentation dish from the Louis XIV period in sterling silver with the hallmark of  thé master silversmith  Ioannes Smidts (1678-1755). He was admitted to the mastership in Ghent  in 1707.
On the back of the dish are no less than five engraved dedications. Each time it is a name of a grandmother who offers the dish to her granddaughter. With each donation, the date and sometimes the place of birth are mentioned, which makes me suppose that this beautiful tray served as a birth gift each time. Thanks to the successive engravings, we learn that it was offered for the first time in 1732 and this was again the case in 1768,1840,1888 and a last time in 1933.
It is deeply touching to read how five generations of women have passed this beautiful object from grandmother to granddaughter. Thanks to the genealogical information found on the net, we also note that the dish never left the region of Ghent and the Pays de Waes during these three centuries.... It bears traces of a  foot that was attached to it and removed during its  history. It weighs a generous 530 grams.