Antique French Brass Tazza, Empire Revival, Apotheosis Relief, Lyre Handles

A large French brass tazza in the Empire Revival, or Neo-Grec, taste, 22.5 inches across, the center set with a cast classical relief medallion of a seated figure attended by Roman warriors and supplicants beneath a winged horse and an ascending figure. Lyre-form handles spring from scrolled palmette-and-anthemion mounts, the bowl rim banded with Greek key and foliate ornament, all on a foliate pedestal and stepped base. This is the Neo-Grec decorative vocabulary that French foundries produced through the second half of the 19th century, here unmarked. The metal is given as brass; gilt bronze cannot be ruled out and would raise the value. A substantial, impressive object with honest gilt wear; one handle shows a possible crack to verify.