Vintage Glass Cake Stand

Found outside Lyon from a dealer we've worked with for years, this vintage French glass cake stand came from his father's collection, built up over decades of looking. The plate is wide and flat with a softly scalloped edge, set on a slender pressed-glass stem and a footed base detailed with a ring of small beading. Cake stands like this were the standard of a French dessert table from the late 19th century on, raised up so the gâteau or the brioche could be seen from across the room. Sylvie sets it out with a braided loaf for Sunday breakfast, or a tart and a cake server for whoever's coming by in the afternoon.