Miguel Guerra, perhaps the most distinguished of the Guatemalan silversmiths of the 18th century, moved from Santiago de Guatemala to Nueva Guatemala circa 1779. His work is characterized by the superb quality of the engraving and his use of rococo motifs suggest that he may have trained in France. A smaller tray of similar form, the center with a bird, was sold in these rooms April 19, 1990, lot 150, while another similar example is illustrated in Plateria de Guatemala, exhibition cat., Instituto Guatemalateco de Arte Colonial, 1975, p. 103.