Title
Chinese tea bowl
Subject
A Nice Cup of Tea
Description
At just 5cm high and 7.5cm wide, this tiny tea bowl is an example of the Chinese porcelain bowls that tea was drunk from, until handles on teacups became popular in the later 1700s. Tea was introduced to Europe by Portuguese priests and merchants during the 1500s. At first admired for its supposed medicinal benefits and limited to European societies’ wealthiest consumers, tea drinking rapidly spread as it became part of the public culture of merchants, coffee houses, tea parlours, and households across Britain.
This cup is part of the 'A Nice Cup of Tea' handling collection held at the Museum of Oxford and collected through the 'A Nice Cup of Tea' project.
This cup is part of the 'A Nice Cup of Tea' handling collection held at the Museum of Oxford and collected through the 'A Nice Cup of Tea' project.
Creator
A Nice Cup of Tea project, with Mimi Goodall, Elisabeth Grass, and photographer Fran Monks
Publisher
Museum of Oxford
Date
mid 1700s
Contributor
Angeli Vaid and Myfanwy Lloyd, oxfordartsconsultants.co.uk
Rights
A Nice Cup of Tea Project, Fran Monks
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