As time has passed, the names have become more obsolete but continue to be used in collecting circles. The advantage of knowing both old and new names for these things is being able to search for them online if you’re shopping, and, to capitalize on keywords in titles if you’re selling. The glass collecting genre has a number of these terms to learn. Take a look at the illustrated definitions below to find out more about some quaint definitions that will come in handy as you further explore both selling, collecting, and using antique and vintage glass in your home. A comport is often shaped like a large, albeit flatter, sherbet dish (see below for shape reference) and they are used for holding food. Some are a bit flatter in shape, like a small rimmed plate sitting on a pedestal base. How does a compote differ? The origin of the word comport actually is the 16th-century variation of compote, so they are indeed connected. Some folks maintain that a compote will have a lid whereas a comport doesn’t, but that’s not always the case. Some original catalogs issued by glassware manufacturers show pieces identified as compotes without lids. Compotes do vary in shape, however, to look somewhat like vases or candy dishes and comports are usually more bowl or saucer-like in appearance as shown here. A tazza is essentially a shallow stemmed, footed vase or cup as well. They can be purely decorative, though, and may be made of materials not intended or safe for use with food. Note that covered footed bowls the size of sherbet dishes were sometimes sold as powder jars in depression glass patterns. These shouldn’t be confused with larger lidded compotes. Console bowls can be part of larger sets of etched glassware, such as those made by Fostora and Cambridge, for instance. A round flower frog (see below) fits neatly into the center of these bowls to make floral arranging easier. Later console bowls were made of ceramic materials and other types of glass, like milk glass, in many different shapes including shells, swans, and dolphins along with more abstract Mid-Century Modern designs. They were largely out of fashion with homemakers after the 1950s, but collectors and vintage enthusiasts find a place for them in homes today. Plain flower frogs are considered common and are usually very reasonably priced unless they’re made of glass in unusual colors. Many vintage frogs were made of other materials including metals (more cage-like or pronged in appearance) and ceramics. Nappies are many times round but can be a leaf- or heart-shaped as well, and formed of many different types of glass and ceramic materials. The term is likely derived from the obsolete word “nap” which referenced a drinking cup or bowl in Middle English. Sherbet dishes can be used for dishing up everything from reasonable servings of ice cream, or sherbet if you want to be traditional, to berries and yogurt. They can still readily be found in thrift stores and antique malls in a variety of colors and patterns in the $5-10 price range. Most spooners are older than the few made during the 1920s and ‘30s to match Depression glass sets. They are often identified as Early American Pattern Glass (EAPG), or pressed glass, like the one shown here, and were made in a variety of patterns during that peak in popularity. Most online sellers use the word tumbler in describing old drinking glasses like these because they know collectors will employ this keyword when searching for pieces to add to their growing sets.
