Steeped: Tea as Muse
Audio Guide
Introduction
Audio Recording
Steeped: Tea as Muse
Tea is the second-most highly consumed daily drink in the world, after water. While enjoying tea is a social custom — a pot almost always holds enough for at least two cups — it can be experienced in solitude to delight in the ordinary moments. It is a source of hospitality and a gesture of friendship. Sipped across the globe, tea has played an important role in shaping cultures, economies, and customs throughout history.
With origins going back to 2750 BCE China, tea spread along ancient trade routes and gained popularity over time in Japan, India, and Europe. In the mid-17th century, tea was adopted by British royals and upper society. Artisans began crafting teaware to reflect European tastes, and the government began imposing taxes on tea. In 1773, the tax on tea was the center of protest by U.S. patriots seeking independence from English rule, making tea an enduring symbol of power within both nation’s identities.
In this exhibition of teapots and teacups dating from 1200 to 2012, forty-one artists have created tea vessels using materials such as cast iron, terracotta, porcelain, and stoneware. From functional to purely aesthetic, each container is a work of art inspired by the symbolism and uses of tea. Together, they remind us of time, tranquility, harmony, and whimsy.
Organized by the Boise Art Museum
Dan Anderson, Chicago Water Tower, 1995
Audio Recording
Dan Anderson
(1945-2023, b. St. Paul, MN, d. Edwardsville, IL)
Chicago Water Tower, 1995
stoneware with glaze and slip decoration
Boise Art Museum Permanent Collection
Gift of Wilfred Davis Fletcher
Garth Claassen, Irrigator’s Herm, 1996
Audio Recording
Garth Claassen
(1953, b. Pietermaritzburg, South Africa)
Irrigator’s Herm, 1996
terracotta
Boise Art Museum Permanent Collection
John Neely & Mark Shapiro
Audio Recording
left:
John Neely
(1953, b. Leavenworth, KS)
Teapot with Lid, c. 1986
stoneware
Boise Art Museum Permanent Collection
Gift of John Takehara
right:
Mark Shapiro
(1955, b. New York City, NY)
Teapot, 1990
ceramic
Boise Art Museum Permanent Collection
Gift of Wilfred Davis Fletcher
Barbara Swarbrick, Cockatea Pot and Stand, 1996
Audio Recording
Barbara Swarbrick
(1945, b. Manchester, England)
Cockatea Pot and Stand, 1996
slab construction, terracotta, and glaze
Boise Art Museum Permanent Collection
Gift of John Takehara
Artist unknown, China, Lidded ewer
Audio Recording
Artist unknown, China
Lidded ewer with famille-verte enamels, with handle, body, and spout imitating bamboo stems, Qing Dynasty, Kangxi Period, c. 1680
porcelain
Boise Art Museum Permanent Collection
Gift of the Clyde R. and Helen M. Bacon Collection of Asian Art
Richard Notkin, Hexagonal Curbside Teapot #19, Yixing Series, 1993
Audio Recording
Richard Notkin
(1948, b. Chicago, IL)
Hexagonal Curbside Teapot #19, Yixing Series, 1993
unglazed stoneware
Boise Art Museum Permanent Collection
Collectors Forum Purchase, 1996
Unknown Artist, Phil Rogers, & Warren MacKenzie
Audio Recording
left-right:
Artist unknown, Japan
Chawan (tea bowl), Edo Period, early 1800s
raku-fired stoneware with coral, gray, and white glaze
Boise Art Museum Permanent Collection
Gift of Wilfred Davis Fletcher
Phil Rogers
(1951-2020, Newport, S. Wales)
Chawan (tea bowl), 2008
tenmoku glaze with a finger-wiped decoration
Boise Art Museum Permanent Collection
Gift of Lynne Rogers
Warren MacKenzie
(1924-2018, b. Kansas City, MO, d. Grant, MN)
Tea cup/yunomi, 2012
stoneware with glaze in diagonal strokes
Boise Art Museum Permanent Collection
Gift of Katherine Duff Rines for BAM’s 75th Anniversary
Chip McKenney, Teapot, 1990
Audio Recording
Chip McKenney
Teapot, 1990
ceramic
Boise Art Museum Permanent Collection
Gift of Wilfred Davis Fletcher
Artist unknown, Mesa Verde Anasazi Cup, c. 1200
Audio Recording
Artist unknown, Native American, Anasazi
Mesa Verde Anasazi Cup, c. 1200
terracotta
Boise Art Museum Permanent Collection
Gift of Wilfred Davis Fletcher
Michael Corney, Teapot and Cup (dice), c. 1990
Audio Recording
Michael Corney
(1956, b. Albuquerque, NM)
Teapot and Cup (dice), c. 1990
porcelain with slip and glaze decoration
Boise Art Museum Permanent Collection
Gift of Wilfred Davis Fletcher
James Valerio, Study for ‘Fractured Still Life with Decoy,’ 1983
Audio Recording
James Valerio
(1938, b. Chicago, IL)
Study for ‘Fractured Still Life with Decoy,’ 1983
pencil on paper
Boise Art Museum Permanent Collection
Gift of Glenn C. Janss
Peter Voulkos, Tea Bowls
Audio Recording
left:
Peter Voulkos
(1924-2002, b. Bozeman, MT, d. Bowling Green, OH)
Tea Bowl, 1999
soda-fired stoneware
Boise Art Museum Permanent Collection
Gift of Wilfred Davis Fletcher for BAM’s 75th Anniversary
right:
Peter Voulkos
(1924-2002, b. Bozeman, MT, d. Bowling Green, OH)
Tea Bowl, 1990
wood-fired stoneware
Boise Art Museum Permanent Collection
Gift of Wilfred Davis Fletcher for BAM’s 75th Anniversary
Peter Beasecker, Oval Carrier with 17 Cups, 2004
Audio Recording
Peter Beasecker
(1957, b. Toledo, OH)
Oval Carrier with 17 Cups, 2004
stoneware and glazed porcelain
Boise Art Museum Permanent Collection
Gift of Anita Kay Hardy and Gregory Kaslo in memory of John Takehara
Karen Koblitz, Untitled Column #4, 1990
Audio Recording
Karen Koblitz
(1951, b. Hollywood, CA)
Untitled Column #4, 1990
low fire clay and glaze
Boise Art Museum Permanent Collection
Gift of Richard Kavesh, Kavesh Gallery, and Karen Koblitz
Artist unknown, Stoneware Teapot with Copper and Wood Handle, 1900s
Audio Recording
Artist unknown
Stoneware Teapot with Copper and Wood Handle, 1900s
stoneware
Boise Art Museum Permanent Collection
Gift of John Takehara
Robert Lazzarini, Teacup, 2003
Audio Recording
Robert Lazzarini
(1965, b. Denville, NJ)
Teacup, 2003
glazed porcelain
Boise Art Museum Permanent Collection
Gift of the Peter Norton Family
Keiko Fukazawa, Teapot and Cup
Audio Recording
left:
Keiko Fukazawa
(1955, b. Niigata, Japan)
Rock Teapot with Hardware, 1990
ceramic
Boise Art Museum Permanent Collection
Gift of Wilfred Davis Fletcher
right:
Keiko Fukazawa
(1955, b. Niigata, Japan)
Cup, 1990
ceramic
Boise Art Museum Permanent Collection
Gift of Wilfred Davis Fletcher
Marilyn Levine, Boot Top, n.d.
Audio Recording
Marilyn Levine
(1935-2005, b. Alberta, Canada, d. Oakland, CA)
Boot Top, n.d.
clay and nylon fiber
Boise Art Museum Permanent Collection
Gift of John Takehara
Greg Daly, Cups
Audio Recording
left:
Greg Daly
(1954, b. Melbourne, Australia)
Cup with Gold and Silver Leaves, c. 1990
porcelain with gold and silver leaf
Boise Art Museum Permanent Collection
Gift of John Takehara
right:
Greg Daly
(1954, b. Melbourne, Australia)
Cup with Gold and Silver Leaves, c. 1990
porcelain with gold and silver leaf
Boise Art Museum Permanent Collection
Gift of John Takehara
Artist unknown, Japan, Tea Kettle
Audio Recording
Artist unknown, Japan
Tea Kettle (tetsubin), Edo/Meiji period, c. 1800s
cast iron
Boise Art Museum Permanent Collection
Gift of Wilfred Davis Fletcher
Artist unknown, China, Libation Cup
Audio Recording
Artist unknown, China
Libation Cup with famille-verte enamels, in the form of an ancient bronze wine cup, Qing dynasty, Kangxi period, 1680
porcelain
Boise Art Museum Permanent Collection
Gift from the Clyde R. and Helen M. Bacon Collection of Asian Art
John Takehara, Teapot, 1980s
Audio Recording
John Takehara
(1929-2009, b. Sowan, Korea, d. Boise, ID)
Teapot, 1980s
glazed porcelain and bamboo
Boise Art Museum Permanent Collection
Gift of Nobuyo Okuda for BAM’s 75th Anniversary
Laura Shechter, A Ginger Jar and Milk Pitcher, 1982
Audio Recording
Laura Shechter
(1944, b. Brooklyn, NY)
A Ginger Jar and Milk Pitcher, 1982
graphite on paper
Boise Art Museum Permanent Collection
Gift of Glenn C. Janss
Artists unknown, China, Painted Teapot and Wine Cup
Audio Recording
left:
Artist unknown, China
Painted Teapot, c. 1800s
stoneware
Boise Art Museum Permanent Collection
Gift of John Takehara
right:
Artist unknown, China
Underglaze blue-and-white wine cup, depicting a dragon pursuing a flaming pearl, c. 1600s
porcelain
Boise Art Museum Permanent Collection
Gift of Wilfred Davis Fletcher
