Antique British EPNS Silver-Plated Fruit Tazza — Pierced Diamond Border, circa 1890

There is something deeply satisfying about a piece of Victorian silverware that still looks this good after 135 years. This elegant silver-plated fruit tazza — a footed bowl, for those who prefer their fruit elevated — is a superb example of late Victorian British craftsmanship at its most refined. Mirror-polished, beautifully proportioned, and with a pierced diamond-pattern border that took someone considerable time and skill to produce.

The piece is stamped EPNS (Electroplated Nickel Silver) alongside additional maker's stamps — what appears to be maker's initials (possibly L&C or similar) and a further quality or capacity mark — consistent with a quality Sheffield or Birmingham silversmithing house of the late Victorian era. EPNS was the tableware of choice for the Victorian middle and upper classes: the look and feel of silver, the practicality of a harder base metal, and the craftsmanship of the best British workshops.

The design is classically late Victorian: a wide, shallow bowl with a gently flared rim, a band of pierced diamond lattice work running around the entire circumference, and a graceful baluster stem rising from a domed circular foot. The interior is mirror-polished to a depth that reflects the room around it.

• Type: Footed fruit bowl / tazza
• Origin: Great Britain (Sheffield or Birmingham), circa 1890
• Material: Electroplated Nickel Silver (EPNS)
• Hallmarks: EPNS + maker's initials stamp + additional quality/capacity mark on stem
• Dimensions: 15 cm height × 25 cm diameter
• Weight: 465 grams
• Decoration: Pierced diamond lattice border, mirror-polished bowl
• Condition: Antique — excellent, strong silver plating, no damage or pitting

Use it for fruit, for chocolates, for bread rolls at a dinner party, or simply as the centrepiece it was always meant to be. It photographs beautifully, catches the light magnificently, and makes any table look like it belongs to someone who takes entertaining seriously.

⚠️ WARNING: This tazza is so mirror-polished that guests may spend more time looking at their reflection in it than at the fruit. Maison de L'oro accepts no responsibility for any subsequent table rearrangements, or for the realisation that you now need matching Victorian silverware for the rest of the table.