Water and Starlight: Finding the Zodiac Beaker
A dark bronze beaker in one of MAA's galleries has remained hidden in plain sight. Recently, however, Mark Elliott revisited this object, revealing new connections and questions in the process.
14 November 2023
At the Heart of the Jebena Bunna, the Ethiopian Coffee Ceremony
The Ethiopian Coffee Ceremony symbolises tradition and community, uniting people and generations across Ethiopia and its diaspora abroad. At its heart, is a simple vessel: the jebena.
22 August 2023
Bellarmine or Bartmann Jugs from a Ceramic Maker’s Point of View
How can recreating museum objects enhance our understanding? A ceramic maker explores this through her creative practice, which seeks to enable haptic engagements with museum collections.
27 June 2023
A Ceremonial Cup of Tea
This post suggests an alternative reading of the life of a woman who lived in Tibet, Sikkim, and Bhutan, analysing it as an encounter between two different tea drinking cultures.
20 June 2023
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
