Tazza, Blown glass with applied and tooled decoration, Venice, 1550 – 1600.

This type of shallow glass on a tall stem is called a tazza. It was primarily intended as a drinking glass for red wine. However, it required practice and the utmost care to drink from such a glass without spilling, and being able to do so was probably a sign of great sophistication. Tazze (plural of tazza) were most likely used for special occasions only, which explains why, despite their obvious fragility, a disproportional high number has survived the perils of time.
Tazze could also be used for serving ‘sweetmeats’. These were the different sorts of sugared and spiced fruits, conserves, biscuits and other confectionery that made up the final ‘sweet’ course of a banquet.