A HISTORY OF… the teacup

the teacup

Seemingly as British as fish and chips, the humble teacup’s origins actually stretch back centuries and halfway round the globe. The earliest-known tea receptacles were hand-formed ceramic bowls made in China. Even today, they are still used in traditional tea ceremonies and recently have enjoyed a surge in popularity in the West, thanks to the modern taste for matcha green tea. It was during the 1600s that the English took to tea with zeal, when it finally started to arrive on British shores via the East India Company.

Because this new commodity was initially only available to the upper classes, a suitably elegant vessel was required, as tea bowls were considered far too messy and impractical. The solution was a delicate teacup on a saucer made with porcelain imported from China – hence the name chinaware – decorated with a border, floral pattern, pearlescent lustre or all three. Teacups remained largely unchanged until Josiah Wedgwood invented jasper, an unglazed stoneware, in 1774. Often created in his signature shade of blue, the cups were embellished with reliefs of classical or godly figures. His ‘demitasses’ (small half-cups) were especially popular, even catching the eye of royalty – Queen Charlotte commissioned some for her own use.

By the 18th century, the thirst for tea had travelled to Russia, and who else could have dreamt of elevating the teacup to a glass flute in a holder made from silver and enamel employing a plique-à-jour technique (French for ‘letting in daylight’), but Fabergé, the design house famous for its bejewelled eggs?

Today, thanks to their meandering evolution, there’s a plethora of teacup designs to choose from. Whether you go for a floral-patterned vintage find, sleek designer creation or satisfyingly chunky Emma Bridgewater set, they can all elevate your everyday cuppa into something a little bit more special.