19TH CENTURY

The richly-coloured purple or amethyst cut-glass bowls to these tazze are reminiscent of the glassware produced by the Imperial Glass Factory whose clarity, mirror-like polish and skillful faceting was unrivalled during the Russian Empire period. Amongst the foremost designers of the Imperial Glass Factory, it was Ivan Ivanov, principal designer between 1819 and 1848, who was responsible for most of the dessins for coloured glass or crystal items executed for the Imperial family (N. Thon (ed.), St. Petersburg um 1800, Recklinghausen, 1990, pp. 395 and 398, no. 344).
Closely related examples sold at auction recently include a pair of Russian navette-shaped tazze featuring comparable purple or amethyst cut-glass bowls, sold at Christie's, London, 6 December 2007, lot 195 (£11,250) and a pair of tazze with dolphin supports sold, 'Imperial Design', Christie's, London, 25 November 2008, lot 18.