Topic: Mystery set of tiny tazzas, comports or sweetmeats

[Ivo]

tortoise shell spoons are for mustard. For serving caviar at the table you do not use a fragile glass minitazza but a silver vessel with a silver spoon, or a glass bowl set in crushed ice. 

[oldglassman]

Thought you could have my tuppence worth , I don't think these are patch stands by the date these were made I think patch stands were redundant,I have many Georgian patch stands so can be pretty sure about that , i think the fact they are a set would indicate as already suggested mini tazzas for the table and probably for some delicate little sugar coated sweets or chocolates,

Cheers ,
             Peter.

[chopin-liszt]

Good to have your input Peter - I'm really not good at history, and though I did wonder if patch stand might be too early, I didn't know enough to keep quiet. 

[Paul S.]

I have just acquired a copy of Therle Hughes 'Sweetmeat and Jelly Glasses' - a small booklet type of publication (a pocket guide that quite literally really does what it says on the tin).   The author discusses  'stemmed saucers or comports - stemmed plates and tazzas - which would be for finger lifted sweets such as flower candies, marshmallows, blanched almonds and chips of orange etc. etc., that required the tiniest of vessels.       An illustration is then shown of 'a tiny tazza'.....although, quite incredibly, there are no dimensions give - an omission which, although I haven't yet got past page 11, seems all too common in the book.     Although the illustration is different from those shown here, the similarity of possibly use seems quite strong.     What do people think (whether in metric or imperial) that the words 'tiniest/tiny' might mean in practice?
The italics are mine, by the way, and apart from the fault mentioned, the booklet (for the cost) appears to be worth having.
Sorry to seem thick, but is the author male or female........I can't tell from the name alone.

[misha]

What do people think (whether in metric or imperial) that the words 'tiniest/tiny' might mean in practice?

It's a bit subjective really, not having a dimension.

But reading comments here to me, tiniest may be inferring the very smallest of what dinnerware of glass nature was at the time. 
Hard to imagine anything smaller than 75mm in diameter on a table that could have serve any useful purpose.

[Frank]

Tiny to me would mean for a dolls house.

[oldglassman]

  Hi ,
           A few "tiny"  Tazzas, mini salvers , patch stands , call them what you like , jury is out on the correct term but all heavy lead and early to mid 18th c , i think as said before probably for showing off at upper class tables with tiny little morsels created by the "chef"  smallest is 1 1/4 ins tall with a 2 ins plate ,I don't think these were created for dolls houses.

cheers ,
   Peter

[Ivo]

Perhaps tradesman's samples again? Miniatures to show what the full version looks like in 3D.

[Frank]

Yes, doll's house ones are really TINY :-)

[Paul S.]

To answer my own question...........   Therle Hughes was a lady, and was the wife of G. Bernard Hughes  - who was responsible for a number of books on glass and general areas of C18 and C19 collecting.

thanks also to those who replied - and with pix - re the question of tiny/tiniest