Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.  Especially if you have a good copyright attorney on retainer.  Around 1905 expensive Albert Mayer-designed Art Nouveau tableware from the German company Wurttembergische Metallwarenfabrik graced the damask of the most fashionable European homes. (The firm's catalog was available in 12 languages.) So, naturally, lesser companies produced cheaper imitations for sale to the aspiring bourgeoisie.

The work at hand seems to be one of them.  At first glance, it looks like one of the expensive Brittania Metal fruit and candy trays from WMF's 1906 catalog.  (Which was exactly what it was supposed to do.)  However, a closer examination of the sort that no casual guest would have carried out shows coarser modeling, blurrier relief and poorer soldering and finishing.* The piece is obviously a reproduction, more precisely, an imitation of the carriage trade item, bearing no trademarks, hallmarks or identifiers of any sort. 

On the other hand, it seems to be a genuine antique rather than a modern knockoff (if there is such a thing). It's made of pewter, not pot metal.  It was already elderly at last purchase 40 years ago.  A steel strengthening rod in the center bears not only a century's worth of rust but a suspiciously nonstandard-looking thread as well.  

The nymph stands 8 inches tall and the tray is 13 inches wide by 6 inches deep.  Real Mayer WMF Art Nouveau trays resembling this one are rare and quite expensive these days.  This re-production seems to be even rarer but it's priced to reflect that it only looks like the genuine article.

*See the drilled hole in the last pic above; it should have been elongated and contoured with a file but the "craftsman" forgot and no one else cared.

#If you have any questions, please ask them BEFORE bidding.

##Shipping and handling charges include only the costs of additional insurance (if any is required) and obtaining a recipient signature.