Design for the 'Memory tazza'

Henry Hugh Armstead RA (1828 - 1905)

RA Collection: Art

A detailed design for the 'Memory Tazza' made by Hancocks, a jewellery and silversmithing firm in London (established 1849). During the 1850s and 60s Armstead provided numerous designs for this company and also for Hunt and Roskell.

The design features a finial in the form of a crouching female figure in a contemplative pose at the top of a shallow, tazza-style cup decorated with foliate design and pilasters on the base. The design was lightly drawn in pencil first, the artist then drawing over most of the design in greater detail in pen and ink. There is also a line drawn down the centre of the sheet, to assist the artist in producing a symmetrical design.