Featured Thrift find beautiful, HEAVY urn? vase? w/lid, elephant head handles + crown 1897 mark

I found this today at a small 2nd hand/thrift store on my way home from my regular thrift store.
The first thing that got me was how Heavy it is!! I almost dropped it when I first picked it up!
The 2nd thing - and it made me think it might have some age to it & was not a new knock off, was 1 of the elephant head handles has spots of deterioration/wear/age(?)
So I bought it for $50.
When I got it home I took photos to post here hoping to find out about it (image search didn't turn up anything similar) and found a mark on the inside of the base - a crown with 1897 in it. But a image search of that didn't turn up anything the same either?
A few questions - what is this called? (a tureen?)
Has anyone seen the mark before?
Is it old - like 1897 old?
Any help or information would be greatly appreciated!

 

This is inside of bottom/base

 

United Wilson

 

Yup. Here is an example from Gotheborg.

 

Thank you Kronos!
Is the 1897 when they started or (fingers crossed!) date if...what is it?!
Wonder why it didn't come up in image search?

 

Thanks - same date so it must be when company started?

 

No, it's modern decorative ware post 1978. If this is from their Ormolu series then 1990s.

https://www.gotheborg.com/marks/20thcenturychina.shtml

UNITED WILSON (永 勝 彩 瓷 廠)
United Wilson Porcelain Factory, Hong Kong, China. One of the last remaining porcelain factories in Hong Kong, with more than 40 Years of History. Began as the Yong heng ci chang (永亨瓷廠) porcelain workshop in Macau. In the early 1970s the two founders opened the J&P Trading Company, specializing in the export trade of porcelain. In 1978, the United Wilson Porcelain Factory (UWPF) was officially founded. Their Ormolu series, where porcelain is combined with gilt bronze, was launched in the 1990s.
942. Mark: "UW". Mark used by United Wilson Porcelain Factory. Factory still in operation.
639. Mark: UW. Used by United Wilson, Hong Kong. Porcelain manufactured in China. Date: Modern, probably 1990s.
Click here to see large picture

 

From their own mouth about the 1897 date.

https://www.unitedwilson.com/our-history

 

Is this one of their French copies then?
I saw ormolu in my search but I saw it was a form of gilding/gold coloring?

 

It's very attractive.

 

Time to ride the Ebay 'Wayback' machine Journ-just pop-in '1897 Tureen United Wilson'...'Sold' results natch

 

Thank you - I put tureen in description on image search before I learned it was United Wilson & nothing came up, so with that + no hole in lid for a spoon made me think it wasn't a tureen!
Thank you

 

Good luck Journey ! It's a pretty piece.

 

Thank you bosko69!