Observations and Reflections on a Tea Brick from Fuzhou
Of all the tea bricks at MAA, only one is embossed with the image of a dragon. What are the multiple meanings of this important Chinese symbol in this context, and what is its relationship to the tea brick?
30 May 2023
17th-century Frechen Bartmann Jugs and ‘Witch’ Bottles
Named after the bearded man that features on them and originating in the the mid- to late-16th century in the Rhineland, how did these stoneware pots become associated with 'witch' bottles?
2 May 2023
Tea and the Margaret Williamson Collection
MAA looks after at least 280 objects from Tibet and its surrounding Himalayan states, and 6,000 photographs donated by Margaret Williamson. But who was she and how did she acquire these objects?
25 April 2023
A Creative Practitioner’s Insight into Sámi Coffee and Salt Bags
Drawing on her own experience of making a fish-skin leather purse, Collections Assistant Katrina Dring provides an insight into the making of similar Sámi leather bags in the MAA collections.
18 April 2023
Lady Schuster’s Tibetan Tea
A collection was donated to MAA in 1947 by a Lady Schuster. But nothing is known about her nor the contexts in which her collection of tea objects was assembled. Who was she?
11 April 2023
Cups that Cheered: Bell Beakers and Alcohol in Bronze Age Europe
Evidence for fermented beverages in Bronze Age Beaker pots is limited. But this overview will show that Beakers were indeed used for alcohol in libations and during social occasions.
4 April 2023
