I listed this item a few days ago believing it was a representation of Christ as a fisherman watched by two individuals listening to his teachings. I thought the plaque was a representation of the book of Mark (chapter 1, verse 17) "Then Jesus said to them, follow me and I will make you become fishers of men"

The inscription at the back reads as follows: 'IL MIRACOLO DIS ZENO'. There is a signature which appears to read as 'Mazza' with the number 80. The number could relate to the number of the casting, or to the date of manufacture (1880 ? 1980 ?). 

I am indebted to eBay use karis-uk for pointing out that the inclusion of the word 'ZENO' is a reference to Zeno of Verona. According to Wikipedia Zeno was either an early Christian Bishop of Verona or a martyr. Zeno is a saint in both the Catholic and the Orthodox churches. "Zeno is often represented with fishing related items such as a fish, fishing rod, or as a bishop holding a fishing rod, or with a fish hanging from his crozier. A local tradition says the bishop was fond of fishing in the nearby river Adige, but it is more likely that originally it was a symbol of his success in bringing people to baptism".  

When I first saw and held this plaque I thought it was bronze, but it is most probably a copper alloy. It is heavy for its size. It eventually warmed up when being held indicating that it was not made from bronze.

There are no holes in the plaque suggesting that it was most probably inset into wood - possibly a box, rather than being hung as there is no evidence of a suspension loop

I have mounted this plaque within a commercially available box frame (to accommodate the depth of the imagery). The box frame is unglazed and could be mounted on a wall, but has a flap at the back enabling it to stand on a table if so desired. There is evidence of someone  having glued this plaque to a back panel at some stage in the past as the white glue is still in evidence. Though I could remove this I have left it as I did not wish to scratch the copper. I have attached the plaque to a piece of white card via double-sided tape - this is easily removeable should the colour of the backing card need to be changed

Summary:

An intriguing plaque that seems to raise more questions than answers

Pleasant verdigris patination 

The artist has captured very well the attentiveness of the two listeners - particularly the foremost

Dimensions:

Width: 7.4cms

Height: 7.3cms

Maximum depth of plaque: 15mm

Size of box frame: 12.5 cms by 12.5cms

Size of aperture: 9cms by 9cms

Weight of plaque unmounted: 154 grams

Postage is just to the UK mainland with delivery via UPS. This item will be packed in an oversize box to reduce the chances of it going astray in the post. Personal collection from Buntingford (East Herts SG9) is most welcome

Please see my other items which are predominantly 18th and 19th century in date