_Latticinio_, _Lattisuol_, or _Lattimo_ are names given by the Venetians to a milk-white opaque glass. White enamels were freely used in the fifteenth century, but the earliest known specimen of Venetian glass, the whole body of which is rendered opaque by the presence of oxide of tin (_calcina di stagno_)—the _vetro bianco di smalto_ of the early writers[151]—can hardly be older than the beginning of the next century. The spherical vase (Slade, 402) formerly in the possession of the Marquis D’Azeglio, is an exceptionally beautiful example of this milk-white glass (Plate XXXII.). The gilt scrolls harmonise well with the slightly warmish ground, and were it not for the rudely executed mermaids on either side, an Eastern origin might well have been sought for this quite exceptional piece; in fact, I do not know of any other specimen of undoubted Venetian glass so distinctly Persian in character. In the Museo Civico at Venice is a flask (_circa_ 1530) of this _lattimo_ glass, about five inches in height, decorated in blue, with allegorical subjects. Although somewhat rudely executed, the painting is masterly in style, and may be compared to that on the best contemporary majolica (Plate XXXIII.). At a first glance this little vase might be taken for an example of Medici porcelain, and indeed we must bear in mind that all through the sixteenth century attempts were being made in Venice to imitate the porcelain of the Far East, more especially the plain white and the blue and white wares which were already arriving at Venice in considerable quantity. This _lattimo_ glass came much into favour for a second time early in the eighteenth century; it was at that time often decorated in colours in a pseudo-Japanese style. This later milk-white glass is once more closely associated with the attempts then again made at Venice, as in so many other countries, to imitate the porcelain of China and Japan. This had indeed, before the end of the previous century, been in a measure accomplished in France by means of a soft paste, in the composition of which a glass-like frit played an important part. At a still later time this _lattimo_ glass was even painted in monochrome, in imitation of our early printed Worcester porcelain! [Illustration: _PLATE XXXIII_ PILGRIM’S BOTTLE; DESIGN IN BLUE ON LATTIMO GLASS VENETIAN, EARLY SIXTEENTH CENTURY]