Traditions of Elegance

The opportunity to see nearly 170 pieces of Chinese and Western historical tea wares, tea sets and paintings from the collections of the Palace Museum and the Victoria and Albert Museum, is what visitors to the Macao Museum of Art can look forward to when visiting the space between December 14 and March 9, 2014.

 

Entitled ‘Taste and Essence’, the exhibition is presented by the Macao Museum of Art (MAM) under the Civic and Municipal Affairs Bureau. 

 

According to the museum director, Chan Hou Seng, “Through this exhibition, visitors can experience the exchange of both cultures, because tea was first discovered in China and later exported to other European countries. It influences the whole world, and that’s why we have included tea pieces that show the change of lifestyle, especially the change of dietary habits because of tea, and the exchange of cultures in the exhibition”.

 

China is the home of tea with an enticing, time-honoured culture. Throughout the centuries-old evolution of its tea ceremonies, China has developed tremendously diverse and aesthetically appealing tea wares – functional works of art. Every tea preparing method or ceremony reflects the cultural characteristics of each era. And with its introduction to the West in the 17th century, Chinese tea culture has also shaped people’s dietary habits in many countries around the world.

 

Given the importance tea has played in cultural history, the Macao Museum of Art is very proud to be the host of such a momentous artistic event, as the museum director explains: “It shows how tea is presented for the first time in the Chinese history. This exhibition displays pieces from the ancient times till the 20th century and each tea piece acts as a representative of its era. They are of great historical and aesthetic value, as well as monetary value. Even experts from the Palace Museum have never seen some of the pieces in our exhibition”.

 

Presented under six themes, the first five sections of the exhibition tell the stories of expensive tribute tea, Chinese porcelain tea wares, Zisha teapots and tea culture activities in the imperial court.  Visitors have the opportunity to see signature objects from throughout the history of the development of tea ware, such as a Jian-ware porcelain saucer created in the Song dynasty (12th-13th century), blue-and-white porcelain tea services made in the Yongle and Longqing periods (15th-16th century) Zisha purple clay teapots by Shi Dabin – a signature teapot maker of Ming dynasty (17th century) – and exquisite tea drinking vessels painted in enamels from the Qing dynasty (18th century).

 

To further illustrate the far-reaching vitality of Chinese tea culture, tea wares and paintings produced during the 17th and 20th centuries in England and other European countries, as well as some exported Chinese porcelain, are presented in the sixth section of this exhibition. Highlights include the earliest silver hot water urns and teapots in England, as well as other classical Western tea wares.

 

With so many historic items of the highest craftsmanship, which one does the museum director like the most? 

 

“I love every piece here, but if I had to pick one to share, I would choose this Chinese tea pot [Octogonal Enamel Teapot with Design of Landscape, Flowers and Birds in Reserved Panel, Reign of Qianlong (1736 – 1795) see page 14] because it is manifestation of the East meeting the West. In terms of the form of the kettle, it imitates the European style, but the pattern on it shows the Chinese landscape. On the other side of the exhibition hall, there is the same style of kettle made of silver. This shows the inter-influence of the two cultures. We can see Chinese culture in Western pieces”.

 

Mr. Chan explains that the decision to host an exhibition of this nature at this time was based on the concept of presenting “life loves art”.

 

“We hope to have themes that are related to life in our exhibitions and tea plays a key role in our diet. I believe it will draw attention not only in our (Chinese) culture, but also in the West. 

 

“People can experience more and gain more knowledge of both cultures from this exhibition and that’s why we have chosen tea as the theme this year”.