This is a Victorian cast copper tazza dating to the 1840s / 1850s. It was made by the Art Union of London and is possibly an electrotype made by Elkington for them to award to members as a prize.
The tazza has a dish on top of a sweeping foot. The dish has a border of relief of Renaissance revival foliate and putti,
The Art Union held subscription lotteries that awarded pieces of art as prizes. An Annual Ballot was held in which members’ tickets were drawn from a drum and the prizes were allotted accordingly.
Depending on the rules of the Union prize winners were either awarded a specific work or could select one from an exhibition. Many of the Art Unions held an annual exhibition of prize winner’s prizes which was open to subscribers and members of the public. As these Unions became increasingly popular they often commissioned pieces in small limited editions (as is this tazza). The Art Union of London was founded in 1836 and wound up in 1912.
The plate would have originally had an "Art Union of London" reference on the base - but this tazza has had the base weighted and filled to give extra weight and substance to the dish. It is no longer visible.
This example is in lovely condition - the copper glows and has a fine patina of age to it. It has no dents or disfiguring scratches. It is a nice item to add to your collection of early Victorian / Elkington metalware.
Dimensions: the diameter of the plate section is 8 inches (20 cm) and the height is 3 inches (8.5 cm). The foot measures 3 1/4 inches (8.2 cm).
I have taken lots of images for your inspection. These Art Union prices are rather hard to source - and this one is in such good condition for an item nearly 180 years old.
I will be posting this Royal Mail Special Next Day Delivery - so that it is fully tracked and insured in transit to you. This will cost £10 and applied to your order at the checkout.