Anvers 1698 , Plat « cardinal », Argent Massif, Orfèvre Nicolas Baerts

A very rare solid silver ‘cardinal’ dish dating from the late seventeenth century.
These large round dishes owe their name to the similarity of their shape to that of the large circular flat hats worn by cardinals of the Catholic Church, which can still be found today in ecclesiastical coats of arms.
At 31.5cm in diameter, it is rather large for what was produced at the time.
It is engraved in the centre with a very fine heraldic engraving of the coats of arms of two spouses who probably belonged to the wealthy bourgeoisie of Antwerp, as neither coat of arms is included in the armorial of the Belgian nobility.
The plate is in perfect condition.
It weighs 560 grams.
It is stamped with three fine, clearly legible hallmarks: the hallmark of the city of Antwerp (crowned hand), the annal letter for the year 1698 (crowned capital V) and the master goldsmith hallmark of Nicolaas Baerts (1663-1745). This son and grandson of silversmiths very probably shared his master silversmith hallmark with his father Natalis Baerts (1626-1778), as this hallmark is recorded on Antwerp silverware from 1662 on . 
The Antwerp Goldsmiths' Museum has a very fine covered bowl of his hand dating from 1705.