Dining customs and tableware design have significantly evolved over the centuries, with each influencing the other in a continuous cycle of innovation and adaptation. As tastes changed and demand grew, artisans such as Delft potters consistently pushed the boundaries of creativity, often leading the way in new trends. This spirit of innovation gave rise to distinctive, one-of-a-kind pieces, each carrying its own fascinating story. In this article, we explore the history behind a remarkable Delft tazza.

A brief history of the dessert

By the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, upper-class dinners often concluded with an elaborate dessert course, serving as the highlight of the meal.(1) The table was entirely cleared after dinner, including the tablecloth, to reveal a fresh white cloth beneath a protective leather cover, prepared exclusively for dessert. This practice, known in French as desservir, gave rise to the word “dessert.” This grand finale featured a lavish array of sweet dishes—from fresh fruits to confections—artfully presented to reflect the host’s creativity and status. As Horace Walpole, the fourth Duke of Orford, noted in 1750, “all the geniuses of the age are employed in designing new plans for dessert.”(2)

The tradition of dessert was not always so exorbitant and sweet. During the late Middle Ages, desserts were typically flavored with exotic spices such as cinnamon, star anise, cloves, and ginger—ingredients brought to Europe through the Crusades from the Arab world. These spices were prized not only for their flavor but also for their medicinal properties. They were often paired with fruits to aid digestion and maintain balance in the body.(3) However, the Renaissance marked a shift toward more natural flavors in European cuisine, with a focus on highlighting the authentic taste of ingredients rather than masking them with heavy spices.

Sugar was introduced to Europe by Alexander the Great in 326 BCE.(4) He encountered sugarcane during his campaign in India. The term “sugar,” along with the botanical name Saccharum (sugarcane), derives from the Sanskrit word śarkarā, likely referencing the crystalline structure of early sugars. Although this discovery probably did not influence meals at the time, it marked sugar’s initial entry into the Western world. In England, the introduction of sugar occurred around the eleventh century, brought back by Crusaders returning from the Middle East. For centuries, it remained a rare and costly luxury, available only to the wealthiest households. By the sixteenth century, however, Portuguese colonists, funded by Dutch merchants, established large-scale sugar production in Brazil.(5) With greater quantities now shipped to Europe, sugar became widely available in various forms and price points.

As sugar production expanded, it became the dominant flavoring in desserts. Its versatility enabled it to preserve fruits, transforming low-calorie perishables into high-calorie jams and preserves. Recipe books from this period reflect the growing popularity of sugar, offering recipes that incorporated it into everything from salads to cakes.(6)

One such dish was jelly, which became a popular dessert. Its most important ingredient, gelatin, was originally used in savory dishes like aspic, where meats or fish were encased in a jelly-like form. Before the dangers of bacteria were understood, gelatin was believed to preserve food by sealing it off from oxygen and contaminants, which likely contributed to its popularity.(7)

Fruit jellies, made from fruit purée and sugar, were especially popular in France and England. The trend likely spread to the Netherlands due to the strong cultural ties between these countries. In the eighteenth century these jelly desserts were often served in elegant glassware, presented on a tazza (a footed salver) (Fig.1) The tazza accentuated the vivid colors of the jelly and elevated the visual appeal of the presentation. To further elevate the display, glass pyramids, known as “jelly trees,” emerged in the early eighteenth century. These consisted of two or three stacked layers of serving wares, topped with an orange creating a striking centerpiece (Fig. 2 and 3).

Delft Tazza

The tazza is a form that dates back at least to the Greek Attic civilization of the fifth century BCE. (8) This particular model experienced a revival in late seventeenth-century England. In a 1681 publication, it is described as “a new fashioned piece of wrought plate broad and flat, with a foot underneath, and is used in giving Beer, or other liquid thing, to save the Carpit and Clothes from drops.”(9) The elevated structure was not only practical for crowded tables but also helped to prevent spills, creating an additional surface above other dishes.

Delft tazzas began to emerge in the late seventeenth century, as evidenced by an example made at De Grieksche A.(10) This particularly intriguing piece is notable for its raised roundels, which make it a unique example with no exact equivalent known (Fig. 4). The roundels are precisely sized to hold jelly glasses from that era, suggesting that a clever Delft potter, or perhaps a client, designed it specifically to prevent jellies from sliding off the surface during presentation.(11)

Later tazzas and trays from different origins and materials, such as a Meissen chocolate set from the 1740s (Fig. 5), show that this practical design feature was used more often. This complete set clearly demonstrates the roundels’ purpose in preventing glasses or cups from slipping. Whether the Delft tazza directly influenced other tableware producers remains an open question for further research, yet it undoubtedly highlights the ingenuity of Delft potters.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Notes

1. Anna Lameris, Het dessert in een toren van Glas, in: Collect, Jaargang 22, No. 6, 2017, p. 30

2. Sarah Nichols, ‘At Table: High Style in the 18th Century’ , in: ‘Carnegie Magazine Online, Vol LXIII, No 5, Sept/Oct 1996

3. Nathan Tashjy, Spiced: The Historical Impact of Medieval Desserts, THEFOOTNOTEGEORGETOWN, 12 april 2021 (https://the-footnote.org/2021/04/12/spiced-the-historical-impact-of-medieval-desserts/)

4. Rajendra Prasad, ‘Sweeteners: From Ancient to Modern Times’, in: ‘Asian Agri -History’, Vol 22, No4, 2018, pp. 327-249

5. Mimi Goodall, ‘How England Became the Sweetshop of Europe’, in: ‘The Conversation’, Oxford University, May 12, 2020 (https://www.history.ox.ac.uk/article/how-england-became-the-sweetshop-of-europe)

6. Mimi Goodall, ‘How England Became the Sweetshop of Europe’, in: ‘The Conversation’, Oxford University, May 12, 2020 (https://www.history.ox.ac.uk/article/how-england-became-the-sweetshop-of-europe)

7. Kathryn Kane, Regency Bicentennial: Jellies Before Jell-O, on: The Regency Redingote, January 19, 2018 (https://regencyredingote.wordpress.com/2018/01/19/regency-bicentennial-jellies-before-jell-o/)

8. An example of a terracotta stemmed plate, made in Greece in the 5th century BC, is in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum, New York, with Inv. nr. 65.78

9. Thomas Blount, Glossographia or a dictionary interpreting the hard words of whatsoever language now used in our refined English Tongue, The Newcomb, London 1681, p. 568

10. An example of an early blue and white tazza, marked SVE for Samuel van Eenhoorn, owner of the Grieksche A factory in Delft and made around 1685, is part of the collection of the Art Institute of Chicago, with inv. nr
1932.14

11. Special thanks to our colleagues at Frides Lameris Glass & Antiques for their generous assistance with testing

Literature

Blount, Thomas, ‘Glossographia or a dictionary interpreting the hard words of whatsoever language now used in our refined English Tongue’, The Newcomb, London 1681

Goodall, Mimi, ‘How England Became the Sweetshop of Europe’, in: ‘The Conversation’, Oxford University, May 12, 2020

Kane, Kathryn, Regency Bicentennial: Jellies Before Jell-O, on: The Regency Redingote, January 19, 2018

Lameris, Anna, Het dessert in een toren van Glas, in: Collect, Jaargang 22, No. 6, 2017

Nichols, Sarah, ‘At Table: High Style in the 18th Century’, in: ‘Carnegie Magazine Online, Vol LXIII, No 5, Sept/Oct 1996

Prasad, Rajendra, ‘Sweeteners: From Ancient to Modern Times’, in: ‘Asian Agri -History’, Vol 22, No4, 2018

Tashjy, Nathan, Spiced: The Historical Impact of Medieval Desserts, THEFOOTNOTEGEORGETOWN, 12 april 2021