What is a patch stand?

It is a very small tazza. The name turns up in nine titles on Sellingantiques, usually alongside words like miniature or tiny, and in a couple of cases alongside sweetmeat glass. Small does not mean cheap in this category. The miniature ones cluster near the top of the range rather than the bottom.

Are most glass tazzas English?

English is named in 11 titles, French in five and Venetian in one, so overseas glass is the minority in the archive. The English side splits between Georgian lead glass and Victorian cut and etched work, which are the two blocks that dominate the category.

The dated field runs from 1700 to 1930. The 18th century is the largest single bucket at 14 listings, then the 1800s decade at 10 and the 1870s at 8. Only about half the listings carry a clean year. A handful reach into the 20th century, with the latest dated 1932, which is the outer edge of the form here.

Why are some called cake stands or comports?

The 19th-century revival made the form larger and put it on the dessert table, so dealers reach for whichever name suits the piece. Comport, cake stand and pedestal bowl all describe the same shallow bowl on a stem. One Georgian listing hedges with "Tazza / Comport".

Do coloured examples differ from plain ones?

Colour is a visible minority: cranberry, ruby, vaseline, blue pearline and yellow-over-crystal all appear in titles, along with crackle glass, gilding and enamelling. Those coloured pieces sit above the plain cut and etched Victorian glass in the range.

Can you find a matching pair?

Rarely. Only three listings in the archive offer a pair, which makes a matched pair the scarcest thing in the category. Each of those pairs sits above the comparable single piece.