May Issue 2001
Columbia Museum of Art in Columbia, SC, Offers Exhibition of Teapots
There won't be a teabag in sight, when 100 teapots from the 18th and early 19th centuries arrive at the Columbia Museum of Art in Columbia, SC, from the Twining Teapot Gallery at the Norwich Castle Museum, Norwich (pronounced Norich), England. Traditions in Elegance: Two Centuries of British Teapots From The Norwich Castle Museum, will be on view through June 17, 2001.
The exhibition explores the stylistic evolution
of teapots and the English customs of tea preparation and tea
drinking. During this period, the teapot was the focal point of
an elegant tea table and represented the taste of the hostess,
thus reflecting the stylistic changes that swept England's and
America's decorative arts. The exhibition presents the finest
objects from a social convention that required fashionable accoutrements,
formalized protocol, prescribed etiquette and symbolic rituals.
The evolution of teapot shapes is shown in examples that range
from classically inspired silhouettes to rococo motifs -- including
forms that resemble fruits and vegetables. The collection chronicles
the technical developments of ingenious potters who experimented
with ornamental processes such as glazes that resemble metal and
with the formulation of different types of clay to produce agate,
jasper and tortoiseshell-like decoration. Spode, Wedgwood, Staffordshire
and Worcester teapots are represented. The "world's largest
teapot," made around 1851 for London's Great Exposition and
decorated with enamel ornament, has a 13-gallon capacity and is
a highlight of the exhibition.
This exhibition was organized by Norfolk Museums Service, R. Twining and Company Ltd. and The Morris Museum, Morristown, NJ. It is made possible through the generous support of Twinings.
For more info check our SC Institutional Gallery listings or call 803/799-2810 or at (http://www.columbiamuseum.org).
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