800 silver compote jar T. Panizza - Italy 19th century

Extraordinary compote jar made of continental silver in the 1840s. The lidded vase sets on an architectural base, complete with feral paws, and is embellished with sumptuous decoration: palmettes, garlands, and other floral motifs. The double scroll handles are decorated with two winged female figures, while the lid culminates in a sculpture of a woman seated in the round. It bears a hallmark with a breastfeeding goat and the letters TP identifying silversmith Tommaso Panizza, active in Milan between 1837 and 1868. Moreover there is a hallmark with a plow, which was the territorial stamp used by the Milan Guarantee Office from 1812 to 1872; and a hallmark with a globe and zodiac, indicating 800 silver. Excellent example of pre-unification Italian high goldsmithing, still in perfect condition.