Tea Table (Primary Title)

Unknown (Artist)

1740–60
American
cherry; maple
United States,Connecticut
Overall: 24 7/8 × 29 5/8 × 20 1/2 in. (63.18 × 75.25 × 52.07 cm)
76.42.20

Tea was first imported to the West from Asia by Dutch traders in 1610. The expensive commodity was restricted to medicinal uses until the 1630s, when tea drinking became an elegant social ritual among Holland’s merchant elite. By 1650, the rage for tea parties had spread to Dutch colonists in New York. It had also become popular in England, where Queen Catherine of Braganza, wife of Charles II, made it fashionable among courtiers. Thereafter, the expensive ceremony became a status symbol among all wealthy British Americans.

The rising popularity of tea encouraged the production of related objects. This rectangular tea table stood in the “best parlour” of a colonial home. The tray-top surface with molded edge supported a table and stand, slop dish, milk port, and sugar bowl; teacups and saucers; as well as plates for sliced lemons, cakes, bread, and other foods. Throughout the 18th century, such accessories were made of costly porcelain and silver, underscoring the lavish standards associated with tea drinking.

Queen Anne
Adolph D. and Wilkins C. Williams Fund
Image released via Creative Commons CC-BY-NC

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