2012.91.178, Canton ware blue and white teapot; early 1800s
Eason Eige Collection; photo by B. Bernard
2012.91.178, Canton ware blue and white teapot; early 1800s
Eason Eige Collection; photo by B. Bernard
If you have ever sat down to a formal teatime, you were engaging in a ritual the Western world owes entirely to China. At first the only place to get tea—and the tea service to to with it—was China. The tea pot shown above is highly modified to match Western tastes, however. For additional views of the tea pot click here and here.
The next below shows a tea service piece considered essential in the West, in particular in the British Islands: a creamer. The Chinese were perfectly happy to make and sell such pieces to the outside world, but would never think of adulterating tea with cream and sugar.
2012.91.162, Canton ware blue and white creamer
Eason Eige Collection; photo by B. Bernard
See source code for copyright information. Page last revised on September 11, 2014. Please report problems to toh@unm.edu
