Teapots as art have become a passion for collectors
By Thea Steinmetz
Insights
Published Jan. 28, 2009

A few seasons ago when my garden produced an overabundance of tea herbs, I was bit by the teapot bug. It was as if the full force of the collecting gene took over common sense. All of a sudden, a variety of these fanciful, ugly or pretty and even practical teapots demanded space on my kitchen hutch.

Soon there was a collection to be reckoned with. Metal, china,  pottery, glass or even totally useless cardboard cutouts somehow made their way into my possession. Greeting cards from friends and silly cloth teapots arrived from those that knew of my addiction.

Along with my collection of vessels, an assortment of mint started to grow in the garden. There are 400 varieties of mint  that I know of, but I only wanted to go with about six or so. Best for tea are peppermint, mountain mint and spearmint.

Mesh covered trays crept into my attic, filled with a variety of tea herbs from the bountiful garden. I became a consumer of cheese cloth. This was used to cover the freshly harvested herbs from dust deposits that might accumulate in the attic.

The next phase was even more fun. The collecting of tea related books. Did you know there are art books out there devoted to the most fanciful, whimsical  and even quirky teapots. Then came the volumes of the long and fascinating history of tea. A new chapter of studying had begun. There was the British tradition, the Japanese tea tradition and don’t forget the grand tea party in Boston Harbor. The height of the social tea was practiced during the Victorian age. It was even suggested that the intimacy  of a proper social setting was ideal for falling in love. This social tea indulgence is still emulated by many of our contemporary tea rooms but one must doubt that any courting is done in these surroundings in our time.

The origin, the growing and harvesting became a subject I wanted to know more about. There are the green teas, the black teas and even the white teas. Many of us drink green tea, made with a tea bag, but there also is a high quality green tea from China, called Gunpowder. The Darjeeling  black tea originates from the foothills of the Himalayas and some tea connoisseurs deem it the best tea. Countries might change their name, but the tea name does not follow. The Formosa Oolong now comes from Taiwan, which used to be Formosa. The same name confusion holds true for Ceylon tea from Sri Lanka, which once was knows as Ceylon.

Next come the diverse variations of blends. Perhaps best known are the Earl Grey, considered an afternoon tea and the brisk English breakfast tea. Jasmine is a blend of green tea and Jasmine flowers. The Orange pekoe has nothing to do with the citrus fruit, but is a blend of high grade tea leaves.

The herb teas always will fill some tins, as I have the pleasure of changing favorites from day to day. Commercial tea purveyors  have expanded their list of offering, and there is something for even discriminating tastes.

With tea books claiming more and more shelf space, I resisted the temptation to subscribe to the Tea Magazine when first offered to me. By then, I had realized that I knew all about tea and teapots that I ever wanted or needed to know. There was a time when a teapot forged by Paul Revere would have been the ultimate acquisition but that could only be a dream.

It was great fun to speak to groups and carry some of my treasures along to share these with others.  Then I realized that the teapot collection represented an art form that was easy to understand, easy to collect and even more fun to brag about.

Writer Oscar Wilde was the inspiration for a teapot. No doubt he would have been delighted to be the muse for  this and would have something clever to say. In his book “The Picture of Dorian Gray”  he  penned,  “The only excuse for making a useless thing is that one admires it intensely.” An artful  teapot is not useless and it may display great style and form.

While a perfect cup of tea will warm your bones, to be engulfed by teapots is an addiction. When the area planned for the collection is filled, these fanciful containers start creeping into other parts of the house. Then, in addition, tea cozies began to fill the cupboards. In case you never heard of a tea cozy, it is a thick, often quilted, comforter for the tea pot to keep the amber liquid hot.

One day I was pulled back to reality when a friend accused me of being a collector of collections. My family had no desire to live in a museum. Many of the once treasured objects have left the premises. Some have been passed on to other collectors. When Ohliger’s Drugstore in Fairview Park closed, a number of old tea boxes were found in the basement and handed on to me. It was a wonderful treasure for me to have at that time. There are also some oddities from the tea world that I still have to dispose of.

The number of miniature tea sets could lead one to the conclusions that there must be or must have been girls in this house. Or, perhaps it was my own childhood fantasy to play with these fanciful objects. There is one dainty children’s set that came with me from Germany that will always be given room.

The long ago cherished tradition of serving tea in a tranquil setting, as once suggested by the arbitrator of good taste, Emily Post, is not on our must do list.