: A new exhibition that celebrates the broad range of styles and
forms of tea ware across time and across the world will be on
view March 11 to July 10, at Winterthur Museum and Country
Estate.
"Time for Tea! Selections of Tea Ware from the Winterthur
Collection" showcases more than 300 American, European, Chinese
and even Turkish objects fashioned in earthenware, stoneware,
porcelain, glass, silver, pewter and tin. The exhibited items
range in date from the 1600s through the 1860s and were selected
from Winterthur's collection of hot beverage wares.
"The exhibition opens with teapots that illustrate the evolution
of popular forms and decorative styles over time," said Leslie
Grigsby, exhibition curator and curator of ceramics and glass at
Winterthur. "Also on view is a beautiful Tiffany silver tea
service made in 1861. This item highlights not only the level of
elegance but also the monumental size that tea sets could reach.
Such a perfectly matched set, however, is a modern concept, and
until the late 1700s, most early tea sets were amassed over time,
and some featured a mixture of different ceramic or metalwork
bodies."
From the various tea ware forms, the focus of the exhibition then
shifts to tea cups and saucers, exploring the economic and social
reasons that thimble-size, handleless tea bowls made around 1700
evolved into the often large-capacity handled cups of the early
1800s. "Improvements in transportation, trade and manufacturing
techniques as well as a reduction in taxes on tea and other goods
all contributed to changes in vessel size as tea became more
available to the general public," continued Grigsby.
The exhibition also illustrates how consumers selected from a
range of tea ware materials, decorative subjects and styles
depending on the time period as well as on individual taste,
location and economic status. A rich variety of tea from China
and India became available in America starting in the 1700s. "Tea
drinkers enjoyed several types of tea, with different leaf types
and qualities," noted Grigsby.
Teapot, made by Tiffany and Co., New York City, silver, 1861.
The impact of political issues, such as the Boston Tea Party
of 1773, and portrayals of such notable people as William Penn and
George Washington are also explored. Toy (or miniature) tea sets
were luxury wares initially available only in wealthy households;
by the mid-Nineteenth Century, toy tea sets were common in many
nurseries -as they are today.
Design inspirations form an important thread throughout the
exhibition. Nature-inspired Staffordshire creamware services were
molded to resemble cauliflowers and decorated with glowing green
leaves; other tea ware was sponged to represent the appearance of
tortoiseshell or painted to imitate fossilized marble.
Chinese shapes and motifs traveled to the West on blue-and-white
or multicolored porcelain and inspired the development of a fine
ceramics industry in Europe.
Forms in pewter and brass resembled more costly silver wares.
Some earthenware and porcelain vessels for serving hot beverages
were coated in rich metallic lusters to imitate the luxurious
bodies and fashionable metalwork forms.
"Time for Tea!" is included with all Winterthur admission
tickets. Partial funding for the exhibition has been provided by
the Farmhouse Foundation. Family activities, including crafts and
a scavenger hunt, will take place Saturday, March 11, 10 am to 3
pm.
Winterthur, on Route 52, is six miles northwest of Wilmington,
and five miles south of US Route 1. For information,
800-448-3883, 302-888-4600, TTY 302-888-4907 or
www.winterthur.org.
