Vintage Glass Tazza in Clear Beaded Edge with Shells

A footed glass tazza is a small stroke of theatre for a table or shelf, lifting whatever sits inside it up to eye level and letting the light do the rest. This one is pressed clear glass with a pretty beaded edge running around the rim and repeated again around the foot, a Victorian and Edwardian flourish originally made for cakes, fruit and bon bons that works just as beautifully as a display stand today.

We have filled it with a selection of natural seashells, and they come to you exactly as photographed. There is a chunky spiral whelk, a spotted turban, a fine ridged conch, a delicate auger and a bleached starfish among them, along with a piece of coral, a mix of soft creams, browns and warm apricot tones that sit gorgeously against the clear glass. Together they make an instant coastal still life with no arranging required.

The tazza measures 14 x 17 cm, a friendly size that holds its own on a windowsill, a bathroom shelf or a console without taking over. We love it styled just like this, piled with shells and the starfish tucked in at an angle, but it is endlessly useful once the shells move on. Fill it with pot pourri, coil a string of fairy lights inside for evening, use it for soaps and sponges in a bathroom, or bring it to the table heaped with figs, satsumas or a few good chocolates.

There is gentle age to the glass, with the light wear you would expect from something used and enjoyed, nothing that stops it looking lovely. It is a versatile little piece with a summer by the sea feeling built in, ready to style your way.

One tazza and its selection of shells, looking for a new home.