Tazza

Manufactory Attributed to the Glasshouse of the Duke of Buckingham British

ca. 1665–70

On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 509

Light, delicate and sparklingly clear, traditionally Venetian glassware- called "cristallo"- was exported in great quantities to northern Europe. However, in the 1660s, the fabulously wealthy British courtier and royal favourite, George Villiers, second Duke of Buckingham, led the vanguard of domestic production, sponsoring London-based workshops, often employing immigrant Venetian craftsmen, to create a cheaper British-made alternative, emulating the physical characteristics of Venetian glassware, and imitating Italian vessel shapes. This tazza is an exceedingly rare survival attributed to the Duke’s Greenwich-based glasshouse; it was originally part of a set of tableware, produced for the top-end of the market.

Artwork Details

Overview

Signatures, Inscriptions, and Markings

Provenance

Title: Tazza
Manufactory: Attributed to the Glasshouse of the Duke of Buckingham
Date: ca. 1665–70
Culture: British, London
Medium: Glass
Dimensions: Overall (irregular diameter, confirmed): 2 1/2 × 7 1/4 × 7 1/4 in. (6.4 × 18.4 × 18.4 cm)
Classification: Glass
Credit Line: Purchase, Gift of Mrs. Hugh J. Grant, in memory of her husband, Hugh J. Grant, by exchange, Gift of Margaret M. Carney, in memory of Farrell Joseph Carney, by exchange, and Bequest of Maria P. James, by exchange, 2016
Object Number: 2016.626
Curatorial Department: European Sculpture and Decorative Arts

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