Tazza London – 1693

A magnificent William & Mary antique silver tazza of plain circular form, onto a cylindrical spreading foot. The surface of the tazza is beautifully engraved in the centre with an original coat of arms and has an impressive gadroon-decorated border. The underside has what is known as “cut card decoration” – which is a sign of real quality. The foot is struck correctly with the sterling standard mark. It also has the original etched initials of “S B” on one side and “T” over “T M” on the other (one initial would have belonged to the donor and the other the recipient). It is also engraved c. 1790 with: “Fellowship Hall St Mary at Hill”. Fellowship Porters Hall was built in 1786 at St Mary’s Hill, London and this tazza would have been used there for the 100 years after it was made (although clearly well cared for or little used!) The tazza would have been sold again in the late 19th century when the Fellowship Porters Society was disbanded. Dimensions: height 8.89 cm, width 30.48 cm, weight 29 Troy ozs. A tazza is a wide, shallow dish that sits atop a short stem with a wide-based foot, or a short foot. “Tazza” translates to “cup” in Italian. The tazza is usually used for serving smaller items of food, such as hors d’oeuvres. The basic form of the tazza is essentially an elevated plate, and therefore it was developed as a way of utilising more space on a dinner table. Presenting a dish in this manner adds to the grandeur of the meal.