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24 février 2015

'High Tea: Glorious Manifestations East and West' at the Norton Museum of Art

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Joachim Kändler (1706-1775), Monkey Teapot, 1735, Meissen Porcelain with overglaze enamels. Height: 7 ¼ inches, AG1967.10.12Cummer Museum of Art, Jacksonville, Florida 

WEST PALM BEACH, FLA..- People around the world have been drinking tea for centuries. The beverage became the center of cultured social gatherings long ago, not to mention an industry influencing health and welfare. The role played by tea, especially in the upper echelons of society, has also had a profound influence on art as artists and connoisseurs devoted themselves to the creation and selection of art in the service of tea. The Norton Museum of Art exhibition, High Tea: Glorious Manifestations East and West, is the first to examine this influence globally, focusing on eight key cultures – China, Korea, Japan, England, Germany, France, Russia, and America. The exhibition, organized by Laurie Barnes, Elizabeth B. McGraw Curator of Chinese Art, is on view at the Norton Museum of Art from Thursday, Feb. 19 through Sunday, May 24, 2015. 

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Silver-plate-and-ebony teapot, around 1879 by Scottish-born designer Christopher DresserTHE MONTREAL MUSEUM OF FINE ARTS

Spanning 1,200 years from the 700s to the 1900s, the 182 objects in High Tea are drawn from numerous museums and private collections around the world and include ceramics, metalwork, paintings, fashion, furniture, lacquer, and glass. Fabulous tea-related works, from paintings depicting tea parties to clothing worn at tea time, created by notable artists, artisans, and designers such as Mary Cassatt, Paul Revere, Christopher Dresser, Wilhelm Wagenfeld, and Charles Frederick Worth are highlighted in High Tea. Ornate tea sets, pots, urns, cups, and saucers by esteemed design houses such as Fabergé, Meissen, Gorham, the Sèvres Porcelain Manufactory, and others are also featured in this unique exhibition. 

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Fabergé silver samovar, from the early 20th century, commissioned as a gift for Romanov grand duke and his wifeHILLWOOD ESTATE, MUSEUM & GARDENS, BEQUEST OF MARJORIE MERRIWEATHER POST

In bringing together so many different items from so many cultures, it is truly stunning to see the international impact that a drink has had on just about every aspect of art and culture,” says exhibition organizer Laurie Barnes. “The exhibition shows that tea has not only been a soothing beverage for centuries, but an important, if unheralded, inspiration to the arts.” 

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Wooden-handled silver teapot made by Revolutionary War hero Paul RevereTHE COLLECTIONS OF THE HENRY FORD, DEARBORN, MICHIGAN

High Tea is divided into geographic sections pinpointing key historical and artistic events, with objects in the exhibition illustrating important milestones in each culture as well as major cross-cultural interactions. In China, Korea, and Japan, for example, the practice of drinking tea spread from Buddhist temples to the secular upper class. Initially, emperors, kings, and nobles prepared and drank tea in the same manner as monks. Over time, elements such as entertainment were introduced. A Portuguese princess, Catherine of Braganza, married King Charles II in the 1660s and introduced the beverage to England. It caught on with the public thanks to the British East India Company and entrepreneurs like Thomas Twining, whose tea shop catered to women consumers, and later, Thomas Lipton, who catered to the middle class. 

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Tea caddy, used to store tea leaves, by Gorham Manufacturing Co., 1880sTHE WOLFSONIAN—FLORIDA INTERNATIONAL UNIVERSITY, MIAMI BEACH, FLORIDA, THE MITCHELL WOLFSON, JR. COLLECTION

In every tea culture, what began as a religious or aristocratic ritual spread far beyond those origins, adopted and embraced by the greater community in each country. High Tea illustrates not only how drinking this beverage became a global tradition, but also dramatically influenced art and culture.

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Solitaire tea service by Ott and Brewer, Trenton, N.J., around 1885THE NEWARK MUSEUM, GIFT OF DR. HAROLD H. KELSEY

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Qing dynasty (1644 - 1912), Teapot with Chrysanthemum Motif, Qianlong mark and period, 1736-1795. Enamel and copper. Overall: 3 3/4 x 6 1/2 x 4 1/4in (9.5 x 16.5 x 10.8 cm). EX2015.37.2.  Gift of Sophie and Lisa Downer, 47.138The Newark Museum

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Korean stoneware container, celadon glaze and inlaid peony decoration, 13th-centuryAMOREPACIFIC MUSEUM OF ART, SOUTH KOREA

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 Art Deco Russian samovar by Finnish-born architect Eliel Saarinen, 1930sCOLLECTION OF CRANBROOK ART MUSEUM, BLOOMFIELD HILLS, MICHIGAN/GIFT OF GEORGE GOUGH BOOTH AND ELLEN SCRIPPSBOOTH TO THE CRANBROOK FOUNDATION/R.H. HENSLEIGH (PHOTO)

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Cup, Saucer, and Spoon from the Orlov Service, circa 1762-1765. Imperial Porcelain Factory, Saint Petersburg Porcelain. Cup, H 4 ¼ inches 25.27, Lid, D 25.27 inches 25.235.14, Saucer, D 5 7/8 inches 25.237.1, Spoon, H 3 7/8 inches. 25.235.13. Hillwood Estate, Museum, and Gardens; Photo by Ed Owen 

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Sèvres Porcelain Manufactory (French, founded 1756), Tea Service, part of the Cabaret Bonaparte, 1812. Gilt and enameled porcelain. The Twinight Collection (New York).

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Aristocratic Ladies’ Summer Surcoat, Late Qing Dynasty, circa 1875-1900, China. Silk gauze with silk satin edging.Purchase, acquired through the generosity of the Friends of Chinese Art, 2013.18 53 x 36 inches. Norton Museum of Art, West Palm Beach, Florida.

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