Other Table Wares and Miscellany
The scope of Georgian table glass which was
available grew broader as dining tastes grew more and more eclectic towards the
end of the 18th century. Diligent and genial hosts would readily
embrace influences and ideas from across the globe as Britain’s sphere of
endeavours grew ever wider, vying with friends and acquaintances in an attempt
to present the most extensive – and therefore most sophisticated – range of
dining accoutrements. Never has the phrase “less is more” been less appropriate.
As the desire for more esoteric and unusual
items grew, pieces entered common usage which cannot be readily placed in to
any of the other existing categories which we have already explored. As a
collective, though, these oddities and curiosities constitute their own class
of tableware – the diverse items which filled every last conceivable niche in
the hodgepodge of Georgian dining miscellany.
Consider the use of cream, for instance. There was
a myriad of existing pieces already in use as jelly glasses or custard cups,
salts, rummers or sweetmeats which would have quite adequately served to
present cream at table, but none of these evoked the original wooden pails in
which the cream would have been collected when initially prepared at the dairy.
Hence we have piggins, taking their name from those same wooden tubs, but replicated
in glass, and affecting the appearance of the original items by having a
“handle” as an extension of an element of one - or occasionally two - of the
sides. These would generally be quite small pieces, but made from thick glass –
lavishly cut and faceted – in order that they could be chilled and then filled
to keep the cream fresh for as long as possible.
Having mentioned jelly glasses, it should be
noted that these were not exclusively used for serving jellies of the sweet
variety. With the British pallet enthusiastically taking on board the French
penchant for savoury entrees we find the likes of pâtés, spreads, terrines and
pressed and potted meats all vying for a place on the dining table. It would
simply not have been seemly to have served your calves foot, bone marrow or
aspic-encased viscera in the same vessels as were used for their delightful
fruited equivalents, and so we find patty pans intended specifically to
accommodate these more piquant preserves. Again they were relatively small –
about the size of modern ramekins – and almost universally in the form of
abbreviated conical bowls with flat bases and a folded or moulded rim.
Decoration was at a premium – simple fluted or slice-cut facets would generally
suffice – but many examples were left entirely plain.
As ever, ostentation was to the fore, and the
properly prepared Georgian dining table demanded a suitably stunning centrepiece.
To this end we find tazzas – broad, flat dishes on baluster or pedestal stems
on to which jellies, custards, sweetmeats – pretty much anything to be fair -
would have been arranged. The variety of stem used for tazzas, and the
combination of plain or engraved, lipped or plain-edged display surfaces make
for a wide variety of designs which constitute an eminently collectable
genre in their own right. If you do decide to go after tazzas, do try and
secure a set or two of matching pieces of diminishing size that were designed
to be stacked to make up a particularly extravagant display – five complementary
tiers is the most of which we are currently aware, so please let us know if you
find anything over and above that !
In to our general category of Georgian table
glass, we can also add candlesticks, pepper sifters, condiment bottles, cruet
sets, cutlery rests, serving dishes and salvers – so you really do have a
pretty broad remit if you wish to ‘specialise’ in collecting this sort of
material.
19th Century Nailsea Glass Rolling Pin
A very fine Nailsea glass rolling pin from c1820 in excellent condition. For more antique glassware, including a wide range of Georgian table glass, please visit Scottish Antiques online store.
£70.00
19th Century Love Token Glass Rolling Pin c1815
A very fine 19th century love token rolling pin from c1815 in excellent condition. For more antique glassware, including a wide range of Georgian table glass, please visit Scottish Antiques online store.
£75.00