Tazza 19th century

Editor: This is a "Tazza," a nineteenth-century mixed-media sculpture by Elkington & Co., currently residing at the Met. I'm struck by the almost excessive ornamentation and the mix of brass and what looks like heavily worked metal. How do you read a piece like this? Curator: I see this tazza as a fascinating artifact of 19th-century industrialization and Victorian aesthetics. Elkington & Co. was at the forefront of electroplating technology. The mix of materials suggests a desire to mimic the opulence of earlier periods, but using mass-produced techniques. Do you think this combination of precious and industrial processes affected its value or its accessibility? Editor: That’s a great point. The electroplating process feels almost like a democratization of luxury. It looks expensive, but knowing how it was made makes it feel different. Curator: Precisely! Consider the Victorian fascination with historical revivalism. This tazza embodies the paradox of that era—a longing for aristocratic grandeur produced through decidedly middle-class means. Its purpose was less about function and more about display of status, an aesthetic consumption. To further the discussion, how might viewing this object change in the 21st century given our renewed interest in artistic production processes? Editor: I guess in the 21st century, we're perhaps more interested in authenticity and handcrafted objects. Knowing this was mass-produced through electroplating might make some contemporary viewers appreciate it less, whereas others may value the historical process behind its construction. Curator: Exactly! It’s a document of its time. I think it speaks volumes about the shifting values embedded in art and manufacturing through time. Editor: I hadn't thought about it that way; now I see it less as a purely aesthetic object, and more of a commentary on 19th-century society itself. Curator: That's exactly the point. Thank you, that’s an interesting reading!