What is a Regency tazza and how was it used?

A tazza is a shallow, wide dish supported by a central stem or figure, traditionally used during the Regency period to display fruit or sweetmeats, or serve as a decorative table centrepiece.

What materials were used in 19th-century decorative tazzas?

Tazzas from this era frequently combined mercury-gilded bronze, known as ormolu, with natural minerals such as malachite, marble, alabaster, or fluorite such as Derbyshire Blue John.

How can authentic 19th-century ormolu pieces be identified?

Authentic period pieces display detailed hand-chasing, natural oxidisation in crevices, heavy casting weight, and crisp hand-carved detailing on stone components.

How should an antique decorative tazza be styled in a modern interior?

Place the object centrally on a console table, mantelpiece, or sideboard to allow its classical silhouette and mineral colours to function as a focal point.

How should ormolu and natural stone antiques be maintained?

Dust gently with a dry, soft microfiber cloth, avoiding liquid cleaners or harsh chemicals that could strip the original gilded surface or erode mineral bases.

for sale €3,452 $3,747

£2,950

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Antique Regency Ormolu Cherub Tazza with Malachite & Blue John 19th Century

Name: Antique Regency Ormolu Cherub Tazza with Malachite & Blue John 19th Century
Brand: Antique
SKU: SA1104194
Price: 2950 GBP
Availability: InStock

19th century

For Sale by Regent Antiques

Description

This is an impressive and highly decorative Regency Period ormolu, malachite and Blue John tazza, Circa 1820 in date.

It features an ormolu winged cherub holding a Blue John tazza on a stepped Malachite base.

Add some Regency charm to your home with this beautiful sculpture.

Condition:

In really excellent condition with no dings or dents, please see photos for confirmation.

Dimensions in cm:

Height 22 cm x Width 9 cm x Depth 9 cm

Dimensions in inches:

Height 9 inches x Width 3 inches x Depth 3 inches

Malachite is a bright green copper carbonate hydroxide mineral contain 57.48% Cu in the purest form. The commercial quantity of malachite occurs worldwide including Congo, Gabon, Zambia, Namibia, Mexico, Australia, and with the largest deposit/mine in the Urals region, Russia.

Blue John (also known as Derbyshire Spar) is a semi-precious mineral, a rare form of fluorite with bands of a purple-blue or yellowish colour. In the United Kingdom it is found only at Blue John Cavern and Treak Cliff Cavern at Castleton in Derbyshire. During the 19th century, it was mined for its ornamental value, and mining continues on a small scale.

The most common explanation for the name is that it derives from the French bleu-jaune, meaning 'blue-yellow'. The story goes that Blue John was exported to France where it was used by ormolu workers during the reign of Louis XVI (1774–91). However, there is no archival record of any Blue John being exported to France and the early ormolu ornaments which use Blue John were being manufactured by Matthew Boulton of Birmingham in the 1760s.

An alternative origin of the name derives from an old miners' name for the zinc ore sphalerite, which they called "Black Jack". Thus, the unique blue stone mined in these caverns could easily have become known as "Blue John".

Another derivation comes from the Cornish miners who began working the Derbyshire lead mines in the 1740s. The name "Blue John" is used for several rocks in Cornwall, including fluorspars, and derives from the Cornish language word bleujenn, in Old Cornish blodon, a flower, bloom or blossom.

Ormolu - Gilt Bronze (from French 'or moulu', signifying ground or pounded gold) is an 18th-century English term for applying finely ground, high-carat gold in a mercury amalgam to an object of bronze.The mercury is driven off in a kiln leaving behind a gold-coloured veneer known as 'gilt bronze'.

The manufacture of true ormolu employs a process known as mercury-gilding or fire-gilding, in which a solution of nitrate of mercury is applied to a piece of copper, brass, or bronze, followed by the application of an amalgam of gold and mercury. The item was then exposed to extreme heat until the mercury burned off and the gold remained, adhered to the metal object.

Our reference: A3893

Physical Dimensions

Height

22cm (8.66")

Width

9cm (3.54")

Depth

9cm (3.54")

Declaration

Regent Antiques has dated this Regency Ormolu Cherub Tazza to the Regency era.

Reference Numbers

Sellingantiques Reference

SA1104194

Dealers Internal Reference

A3893

Description

This is an impressive and highly decorative Regency Period ormolu, malachite and Blue John tazza, Circa 1820 in date.

It features an ormolu winged cherub holding a Blue John tazza on a stepped Malachite base.

fig 1. A 19th-century Regency ormolu tazza featuring a gilt cherub figure supporting a purple stone dish, raised on a stepped green malachite base. — fig 1. Antique Regency Ormolu Cherub Tazza with Malachite & Blue John 19th Century

Add some Regency charm to your home with this beautiful sculpture.

Condition:

In really excellent condition with no dings or dents, please see photos for confirmation.

Dimensions in cm:

Height 22 cm x Width 9 cm x Depth 9 cm

fig 2. A 19th-century Regency ormolu tazza featuring a gilt cherub figure supporting a purple stone dish, raised on a stepped green malachite base. — fig 2. Antique Regency Ormolu Cherub Tazza with Malachite & Blue John 19th Century

Dimensions in inches:

Height 9 inches x Width 3 inches x Depth 3 inches

Malachite is a bright green copper carbonate hydroxide mineral contain 57.48% Cu in the purest form.

“

The commercial quantity of malachite occurs worldwide including Congo, Gabon, Zambia, Namibia, Mexico, Australia, and with the largest deposit/mine in the Urals region, Russia.

Regent Antiques

fig 3. A 19th-century Regency ormolu tazza featuring a gilt cherub figure supporting a purple stone dish, raised on a stepped green malachite base. — fig 3. Antique Regency Ormolu Cherub Tazza with Malachite & Blue John 19th Century

Blue John (also known as Derbyshire Spar) is a semi-precious mineral, a rare form of fluorite with bands of a purple-blue or yellowish colour. In the United Kingdom it is found only at Blue John Cavern and Treak Cliff Cavern at Castleton in Derbyshire. During the 19th century, it was mined for its ornamental value, and mining continues on a small scale.

fig 4. A 19th-century Regency ormolu tazza featuring a gilt cherub figure supporting a purple stone dish, raised on a stepped green malachite base. — fig 4. Antique Regency Ormolu Cherub Tazza with Malachite & Blue John 19th Century

The most common explanation for the name is that it derives from the French bleu-jaune, meaning 'blue-yellow'. The story goes that Blue John was exported to France where it was used by ormolu workers during the reign of Louis XVI (1774–91). However, there is no archival record of any Blue John being exported to France and the early ormolu ornaments which use Blue John were being manufactured by Matthew Boulton of Birmingham in the 1760s.

fig 5. A 19th-century Regency ormolu tazza featuring a gilt cherub figure supporting a purple stone dish, raised on a stepped green malachite base. — fig 5. Antique Regency Ormolu Cherub Tazza with Malachite & Blue John 19th Century

An alternative origin of the name derives from an old miners' name for the zinc ore sphalerite, which they called "Black Jack". Thus, the unique blue stone mined in these caverns could easily have become known as "Blue John".

fig 6. A 19th-century Regency ormolu tazza featuring a gilt cherub figure supporting a purple stone dish, raised on a stepped green malachite base. — fig 6. Antique Regency Ormolu Cherub Tazza with Malachite & Blue John 19th Century

Another derivation comes from the Cornish miners who began working the Derbyshire lead mines in the 1740s. The name "Blue John" is used for several rocks in Cornwall, including fluorspars, and derives from the Cornish language word bleujenn, in Old Cornish blodon, a flower, bloom or blossom.

fig 7. A 19th-century Regency ormolu tazza featuring a gilt cherub figure supporting a purple stone dish, raised on a stepped green malachite base. — fig 7. Antique Regency Ormolu Cherub Tazza with Malachite & Blue John 19th Century

Ormolu - Gilt Bronze (from French 'or moulu', signifying ground or pounded gold) is an 18th-century English term for applying finely ground, high-carat gold in a mercury amalgam to an object of bronze.The mercury is driven off in a kiln leaving behind a gold-coloured veneer known as 'gilt bronze'.

fig 8. A 19th-century Regency ormolu tazza featuring a gilt cherub figure supporting a purple stone dish, raised on a stepped green malachite base. — fig 8. Antique Regency Ormolu Cherub Tazza with Malachite & Blue John 19th Century

The manufacture of true ormolu employs a process known as mercury-gilding or fire-gilding, in which a solution of nitrate of mercury is applied to a piece of copper, brass, or bronze, followed by the application of an amalgam of gold and mercury. The item was then exposed to extreme heat until the mercury burned off and the gold remained, adhered to the metal object.

Our reference: A3893

Physical Dimensions

Height

22cm (8.66")

Width

9cm (3.54")

Depth

9cm (3.54")

Date of Manufacture

Regent Antiques has dated this Regency Ormolu Cherub Tazza to the Regency era.

Reference Numbers

Sellingantiques Ref