Teapot 1725 - 1745

Editor: We’re looking at a porcelain Teapot from between 1725 and 1745. It’s currently held at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. There are delicate landscape paintings with a deer and a bird depicted on its surface. The overall design seems so extravagant, I can only imagine someone from the high society enjoying a cup of tea with it! What strikes you most about this object? Curator: Isn’t it just darling? What fascinates me is how it whisks you away. Imagine the artisan, head bent low, breathing life into this tiny world! They are literally bottling a serene vista. Notice how the curves echo nature; the handle mimicking a blossoming branch perhaps? Do you suppose, when it was made, this offered a mini-retreat from formal court life? Editor: I hadn’t thought of it that way, but it makes total sense. It's like having a personal window to nature within reach. Almost…portable! Curator: Exactly! And tea, remember, wasn't just a drink. It was a ritual, a social act. Owning such a precious item would have announced one’s sophistication and status. This little vessel contained far more than tea. What feelings come to mind as you imagine yourself with it? Editor: I can imagine the scene... it gives me a warm and inviting sensation. Curator: Ah! So the artisan did their work, didn't they? To stir our souls, to create intimacy, using only paint and clay! That teapot did what good art always does: transport us. Editor: I guess art objects always carry layered meaning than we think. Thanks, that’s quite fascinating to consider.