Antique Victorian Sterling Silver & Parcel Gilt Tazza

This is a magnificent, fine and impressive antique Victorian English sterling silver tazza with parcel gilt highlights; part of our ornamental silverware collection This exceptional antique Victorian sterling silver tazza has a plain circular form onto a circular spreading pedestal foot. The plain circular silver dish has a shallow central circular well, accented with a domed central design. The surface of this exceptional antique tazza is parcel gilt and embellished with a combination of chased, cast and applied decoration. The well of the tazza is ornamented with three winged putto* characters, supporting and conjoined by three floral festoons, flanked with spiralling leaf designs, all alternating with large figural masks. This impressive central arrangement is flanked with spiralling ribbon and floral motif decorated borders, accented with a magnificent Medusa's head mask in relief to the domed portion. The outer circumference of the dished surface is further ornamented with impressive griffin and urn decoration, in addition to two vacant leaf bordered circular cartouches. The cast pedestal foot of this impressive tazza is encircled with applied leaf decoration, accented with an egg style border to the lower portion, accented with emanating trefoil designs. The subtly weighted base is further ornamented with a matte textured finish, in addition to parcel gilt highlights. The underside of the tazza bears the retailer's mark 'Elkington & Co Silversmiths, Regent St London', in addition to the 'lozenge mark' which certifies the patent of this piece on 22nd April 1870 with the UK Patent Office. This collectable tazza, crafted by the renowned silversmith Frederick Elkington of Elkington & Co, is the finest example of its type you could hope to acquire; such pieces are commonly electroplated, it is rare to locate a solid sterling silver example. * In art and culture, a putto (plural: putti) is a chubby male child, usually nude and occasionally bearing wings. Dimensions Height 12.2cm/4.8" Diameter 24.6cm/9.7" Diameter of foot 11.6cm/4.6" Weight 29.6 troy ounces/919g (including slight weighting to base) Maker: Frederick Elkington (Elkington & Co) Date: 1870 Origin: Birmingham, England