{"id":6051,"date":"2026-04-23T12:56:39","date_gmt":"2026-04-23T10:56:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/galerieleage.com\/?post_type=newsletter&p=6051"},"modified":"2026-04-23T12:56:40","modified_gmt":"2026-04-23T10:56:40","slug":"tea-luxury-and-sociability","status":"publish","type":"newsletter","link":"https:\/\/galerieleage.com\/en\/newsletter\/tea-luxury-and-sociability\/","title":{"rendered":"TEA, Luxury and Sociability"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
Nicolas Lancret, Les Quatre Heures du jour : le Matin [The Four Hours of the day: Morning]<\/em>, 1739, London, National Gallery (inv. NG5867)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Introduced to Europe in the 17th<\/sup> century, tea became one of the favorite hot beverages of Enlightenment-era aristocracy. At the crossroads of exoticism and Anglomania, it emerged in France as a defining marker of elite society and a central element of aristocratic sociability.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Martin Carlin (cabinetmaking), Carl Van Loo (after), Antoine Watteau (after), Charles-Nicolas Dodin (painter), S\u00e8vres manufactory, Tea table from the oval salon of Madame du Barry\u2019s music pavilion in Louveciennes<\/em>, 1774, Paris, Mus\u00e9e du Louvre (inv. 
OA 10658)

\u00a9 1998 GrandPalaisRmn (mus\u00e9e du Louvre) \/ Daniel Arnaudet<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Consumed in China and Japan since antiquity, tea first reached Europe in the first half of the 17th<\/sup> century. Imported by the Dutch and English East India Companies, it quickly gained popularity in both countries as well as in Paris. In 1687, Nicolas de Bl\u00e9gny, physician to the king, described in his treatise The Proper Use of Tea, Coffee, and Chocolate<\/em> the supposed medicinal virtues of tea and the correct way to prepare it. Aboard East India Company ships, cups, saucers, and teapots traveled alongside cargoes of tea from Asia. Once in Paris, they adorned refined tables and were used interchangeably for tea, coffee, or chocolate. The travel set presented by Louis XV to his wife, Queen Marie Leszczy\u0144ska, for the birth of the Dauphin in 1729 included a sugar bowl and a Japanese porcelain teapot, small Chinese porcelain cups mounted in trembleuses, a tea caddy and strainer in vermeil, as well as a chocolate pot and a coffee pot.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Henri-Nicolas Cousinet (goldsmith), Tea, chocolate, and coffee set, presented by Louis XV to Queen Marie Leszczy\u0144ska on the occasion of the Dauphin\u2019s birth in 1729<\/em>, 1729\u20131730, Paris, Mus\u00e9e du Louvre (inv. OA9598)

\u00a9 2008 GrandPalaisRmn (mus\u00e9e du Louvre) \/ Jean-Gilles Berizzi<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Particularly costly, tea consumption in France was initially reserved for the highest levels of aristocracy, among whom it spread during the second half of the 18th<\/sup> century. Combining exotic appeal with new flavors, it first reflected a growing fascination with China\u2014its economy and culture. In 1761, Queen Marie Leszczy\u0144ska dedicated the decorative program of her Cabinet des Chinois<\/em> at Versailles to the tea trade. From the 1760s onward, under the influence of Anglomania, tea\u2014once confined to private settings\u2014became an essential moment of aristocratic sociability. The Prince de Conti commissioned Michel-Barth\u00e9lemy Ollivier to paint one of his favorite pastimes, Tea in the English Style Served in the Salon des Quatre-Glaces at the Temple<\/em>. The distinguished guests serve themselves the precious beverage. Among them, one can even recognize the young Mozart seated at the harpsichord, performing for the prince in 1764. Served with milk, cream, or sugar, and often accompanied by cakes or bread, tea became a hallmark of refined aristocratic life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Michel Barthelemy Ollivier, Le Th\u00e9 \u00e0 l\u2019Anglaise servi dans le salon des Quatre-Glaces au palais du Temple \u00e0 Pars en 1764 <\/em>
[An English-style tea party served in the Salon des Quatre-Glaces at the Palais du Temple in Paris in 1764], 1777, commissioned for the Ch\u00e2teau de l\u2019Isle-Adam by the Prince de Conti, Versailles, Ch\u00e2teaux de Versailles et de Trinaon (inv. MV3824)

\u00a9 2022 Mus\u00e9e du Louvre, Dist. GrandPalaisRmn \/ Christophe Fouin<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

As tea consumption expanded in France, the objects associated with its preparation and service became increasingly varied and specialized. The word \u201cth\u00e9i\u00e8re\u201d [teapot] itself only appears toward the end of the century\u2014Bl\u00e9gny still referred to it as a \u201cpot\u201d or \u201cvaisseau\u201d in 1687. To meet growing demand for hot beverages, European porcelain manufactories, notably Meissen, Saint-Cloud, and S\u00e8vres, competed in creativity. They produced handled cups, deep saucers, teapots, in a wide variety of forms and decorative styles. These elements could be assembled on trays into sets known as d\u00e9jeuners<\/em>, referring to a favored moment for tea consumption comparable to today\u2019s breakfast. The royal family was among the main consumers of tea. In 1774, Louis-Philippe, Duc d\u2019Orl\u00e9ans, acquired a S\u00e8vres porcelain d\u00e9jeuner<\/em> decorated with Chinese motifs, including a reed-shaped teapot similar to one now preserved at S\u00e8vres (inv. MNC 4670). The sovereigns, as well as Mesdames\u2014the daughters of Louis XV\u2014also owned precious tea services in their private apartments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

S\u00e8vres manufactory, Louis-Fran\u00e7ois L\u00e9cot (painter), \u201cD\u00e9jeuner\u201d with a rectangular tray with Chinese d\u00e9cor<\/em>, 1775, Versailles, Ch\u00e2teaux de Versailles et de Trianon (inv. V5240 et V5260) 

\u00a9 RMN-GP (Ch\u00e2teau de Versailles) \/ \u00a9 G\u00e9rard Blot<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Beyond utensils and services, tea consumption gave rise to specialized furniture. Numerous tea tables and small stands were produced toward the end of the century, often reflecting English influence. Mahogany was frequently favored for these refined pieces, one of the most remarkable examples being the table made in 1774 for Madame du Barry. Adorned with seven painted S\u00e8vres porcelain plaques, it was crafted by cabinetmaker Martin Carlin (1730\u20131785) under the direction of the marchand-mercier Simon-Philippe Poirier. A few years later, Adam Weisweiler (1746\u20131820) developed a model featuring a rack mechanism that allowed the central top to be raised, enabling guests to easily arrange and access all elements of the service. To complement this specialized furniture, a variety of small volantes<\/em>tables were also used.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Adam Weisweiler (attributed to), Tea table with two trays<\/em>, Louis XVI period, Galerie L\u00e9age<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Imported from Asia, tea profoundly transformed social customs in 18th<\/sup>-century France, giving rise to new rituals, objects, and forms of furniture. Initially reserved for the aristocracy, it gradually spread throughout society, ultimately becoming a daily practice that remains alive today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Bibliography:<\/strong>
Ouvrage collectif, Th\u00e9, caf\u00e9 ou chocolat ? Les boissons exotiques \u00e0 Paris au XVIIIe<\/sup> si\u00e8cle<\/em>, Paris Mus\u00e9es, 2015
Marie-Laure de Rochebrunne (dir.), La Chine \u00e0 Versailles. Art et diplomatie au XVIIIe<\/sup> si\u00e8cle<\/em>, Somogy \u00e9ditions d\u2019art, 2014
St\u00e9phane Castelluccio, Le Go\u00fbt pour les porcelaines de Chine et du Japon \u00e0 Paris aux XVIIe<\/sup> et XVIIIe<\/sup> si\u00e8cles<\/em>, \u00c9ditions Monelle Hayot, 2013<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Introduced to Europe in the 17th<\/sup> century, tea became one of the favorite hot beverages of Enlightenment-era aristocracy. At the crossroads of exoticism and Anglomania, it emerged in France as a defining marker of elite society and a central element of aristocratic sociability.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":6053,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_editorskit_title_hidden":false,"_editorskit_reading_time":0,"_editorskit_is_block_options_detached":false,"_editorskit_block_options_position":"{}","inline_featured_image":false,"wp_typography_post_enhancements_disabled":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6051","newsletter","type-newsletter","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"acf":{"url_news1":{"simple_value_formatted":"","value_formatted":"","value":"","field":{"ID":438,"key":"field_64c00914a1189","label":"URL","name":"url_news1","aria-label":"","prefix":"acf","type":"url","value":null,"menu_order":0,"instructions":"","required":0,"id":"","class":"","conditional_logic":0,"parent":437,"wrapper":{"width":"","class":"","id":""},"only_front":0,"frontend_admin_display_mode":"edit","no_values_message":"","wp-typography":"none","default_value":"","placeholder":"","wpml_cf_preferences":1,"_name":"url_news1","_valid":1}}},"mcc_id":null,"mcc_type":null,"mcc_status":null,"mcc_create_time":null,"mcc_send_time":null,"mcc_emails_sent":null,"mcc_delivery_status":null,"mcc_content_type":null,"mcc_archive_url":null,"mcc_long_archive_url":null,"mcc_plain_text":null,"mcc_content_html":null,"mcc_recipients":null,"mcc_list_id":null,"mcc_list_name":null,"mcc_segment_text":null,"mcc_recipient_count":null,"mcc_settings":null,"mcc_tracking":null,"mcc_social_card":null,"mcc_report_summary":null,"mcc___links":null,"mcc__edit_lock":null,"mcc__edit_last":null,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/galerieleage.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/newsletter\/6051","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/galerieleage.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/newsletter"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/galerieleage.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/newsletter"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/galerieleage.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/galerieleage.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6051"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/galerieleage.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/newsletter\/6051\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6054,"href":"https:\/\/galerieleage.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/newsletter\/6051\/revisions\/6054"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/galerieleage.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6053"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/galerieleage.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6051"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/galerieleage.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6051"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/galerieleage.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6051"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}