I started out my essay by first analyzing the object in all of its dimensions,

first by seeing that it was a hexagon rather than the usual circular opening for a

teacup. I, then, worked to find artistic ways to express the aesthetic beauty of the

images drawn on the cup to indicate its natural dialect that illustrates itself in the

form of mountains, skies, and mounds. The part that left me in confusion was

the meaning of the kanji symbol that was placed on the cup, which I will have to

do more research on.

However, the fact that the symbol was placed on the vessel indicates its

relation to Asian culture. This indicates that the artist wanted it to be known that

this device was made with cultural identity in mind, regardless of whom

consumed the product. This was symbolic given that most people of European

descent imported teacups due to the high desire for tea, and thus the high

consumption of tea. Therefore, the symbol was more like an imprint to

remember the heritage of the cup as opposed to its usage.

My second focus was the material used to construct the teacup itself,

which through research, I learned that teacups are made using fine porcelain.

This leads me to question the holder of teacups because fine porcelain might

have been a wealth indicator at the time of its creation and therefore only

possessed by those with wealth or economic prestige. Therefore, material and

wealth would be positively correlative with one another when analyzing objects

on an intrinsic and extrinsic level. By intrinsic level, I am referring to the

ideologies that can be grasped from observation such as the cultural aspect that

can be grasped from the imagery or the idea of this object being a symbolic

representation of wealth given its increased necessitation when taking into

consideration the high consumption of tea in the tea trade.  By extrinsic features,

I am referring to merely going by observation such as imagery, shape, and other

pronounced features for aesthetic purposes rather than a more internal

understanding.

These interpretations lead me to consider the aspect that a young girl of

European descent might have possessed this small teacup as part of a collection

for “tea parties” that were more pronounced in the past as a conventional role of

young girls along with “playing house”. At the same time, this cup could have

belonged to an older woman of European descent as an antique given the

eloquent look of the cup. These stories could have validation when considering

the Huffington Post article, “The History and Etiquette of Afternoon Tea” by Lisa

Grotts, which she outlines,

“The 1920s marked the height of the craze, complete with lots of guests,

pageantry, servants, silver teapots, fine linens, musicians, elegant teacups, and

the best tea money could buy” (1).
My next focus was the actual aging of the cup itself that have to be taken

into consideration when explaining this object. Some of its parts such as the

handle and opening were chipped away enough to be noticed, but still served as

another form of beauty- this is understood to me as the beauty of aging, but still

being able to be recognizable for future artists to analyze and interpret. This

leads me to understand the actual durability of the materials used in the past

that remain vivid enough for us, as individuals, to reflect on in the future.

Nowadays, there is a desire to hold onto particular artifacts that would be

considered antiques given the beauty regardless of aging.

This artifact would be considered an antique when considering the aging

and the aesthetic beauty of the teacup. My last focus was the correlation

between the teacup and the tea trade itself; this is because the tea and the

teacups necessarily have to correlate in order to be productive in the market

economy particularly in the European economy before the  high taxing of tea.

This forms an insight into the cultural, historical, and political aspect of the cup

that would have otherwise been neglected when looking at the cup from what it

offers visually. This is what allowed me to use my interpretations to mold an

image to the audience that would help aid in discovering what the object is prior

to the very last sentence that concluded my essay.

This small object begins with a hexagonal opening, which probably

contained a delicate of sorts used by Europeans at a certain point in time. This

vessel has a broken handle and a spout that dispensed whatever fluid it

contained long ago. This mechanism bulges out to show the vivid imagery that

adorned its already pronounced features. Its patterns were of earthly features,

such as painted mounds as well as cerulean skies and high mountains. The

letters on the scenic imagery and the bottom of this flask were kanji symbols,

which indicates this vessel might have some cultural sphere to its emergence.

There are numeric symbols on the bottom perhaps to indicate a certain

particularity about the item that sets it distinct from other objects of analysis.

This object was probably a part of a Chinese or Japanese set and

reproduced in mass quantities. Its beauty slowly chipped away with time, but still

potent due to its colors and images being able to be captured by the human eye.

Its colors are an arrangement of sorts; mainly chamoisse, with a hint of earthly

tones such as sienna, light green, and sky blue. This suggests that the container

was crafted with fine porcelain. I began my research on this object to discover

that this tool was only exported from Chinese and Japanese ports, which

supports my first assertion of the cup containing a part of historical culture as an

artifact. This also gives the audience a sense of how art takes on a new

dimension in the form of everyday usage by using new materials such as fine

porcelain. Fine porcelain could be an indicator of wealth and economic value as

well considering the compartmentalization of wealth and prestige during the

time period.

The item most likely belonged to a little girl as it was a conventional

role to throw certain parties if you were a young girl in the 1900’s. This young girl

scenario would have probably been of European descent given the discrepancy

of wealth and divided powers between blacks and whites in the South during this

time period. This leaves me to suspect that the teacup probably went

unnoticeable when it was lost as it has a minute function when taking into

consideration the whole of the collection that wasn’t founded or documented

during the excavation on the Marta rail line.

The object could have also belonged to a person from a different

country given the kanji encryptions. This would indicate that the cup could also

have a religious purpose given that it could have been used for ceremonies just

as well as it may have been used for recreational purposes. This would leave me

to suspect that the device, itself, would have then been a transported art from

one country to the next in hopes of preserving culture. This insight offers a

different light, or perception, about the vessel that might not have gone

recognized if there was no acknowledgement or recognition of the kanji symbols.

My last analysis draws from the identity of the person whom the object

might have belonged to.  Based on the size and nature of its use, I suspect that

the vessel was used by some child whose biological sex is female given the

conventional use of this object for a small party for little girls. Perhaps the small

device was part of a set that was unintentionally disregarded or left behind on a

travel. It would later be picked up from Marta’s transportation rail line to show

that some objects have existed over a duration of time for a particular purpose

that is still consistent with today’s use.

This receptacle, along with applying its historical applications, would

best be used as a decorative ornament on a coffee or kitchen table. This would

have to go with replications of its same features as well to form a sense of order

in the room that is creative and essential if one ever has company.  This device

would give guests a sense of dining in a fanciful manner while always

remembering to “hold up your pinky” as mentioned in popular TV series

“Spongebob”. This device could also remind one of other childhood memories

such as the Disney classic “Beauty and The Beast”, but how would one know

which object?  The aroma in the air is a signifier of what lies within this container

with smells of strawberries, earl gray, peaches, and other sweet smells that

fabricate the room; a teacup that refreshes and rejuvenates.

During my timeline assignment, I began collecting articles and readings on

the history of tea in order to understand why and when teacups originated.

Through this investigation, I came across historical excerpts regarding tea and

the innovation of teacups from the early Chinese dynasties. I noticed a site

dedicated to pottery known as Emerson Creek, which gave a great analysis and

deconstruction of the history that pertains to tea and trade. From this reading, I

was able to generate several understandings of the teacup deriving from a

cultural component and expanding through different cultural modes, which

makes this object an interesting topic of discussion.

The teacup embraces each society it had been instilled into given the

trade history of the Chinese with the Europeans by maintaining a consistent

purpose while keeping its cultural features. This was heavily expressed in my

object analysis when I noticed the symbols drawn on my teacup were kanji

symbols. This indicated that regardless of where the teacup ends, it still carries

with it, its historical context.

The next idea that came across my mind when developing my timeline was

the transitioning of how the teacup was to look. Each culture had a different

form of expressing individuality with the cups although the tea was shipped from

Chinese and Japanese ports. For instance, when I googled a Samovar, I noticed

the polished look of the containers as well as their size. This is very

distinguishable and different from the British and French aesthetic, whichsought

to create an etiquette aura around the teacup. The teacups from the Victorian

era was a primary example considering the exquisite look of the cups. They were

also significantly smaller to maintain a “cute” appearance.

However, these looks were extracted from Chinese works and culture. This is

shown through my object when I noticed the nature-based look of the cup. This

look consisted of mountains, mounds, and other earthly qualities. Tis lead me to

see how ideas are taken and reconstructed as well as molded as opposed to

developing out of originality. These remarking similarities as to what is appealing

aesthetically can be show through these time periods.

The last aspect I took into consideration when creating my timeline was

the linkage between contemporary society as well as previous societies when it

comes to the expansion of cups into American society. By using this linkage, I

was able to understand not only how the past reflects the present, but also how

the past is still a part of our present society. This is shown and expressed in the

project when the artifacts were taken from the Marta train line for the purposes

of understanding material culture as it transcends into multiple facets that can

illustrate many sociological and political realms. From trading to making treaties

and other arrangements, cultures have been able to build off of one another and

create different ideas that revolve around the same object. This is extremely

important when understand the class for the purposes of describing objects not

only by their extrinsic features, but also by their history.

Greetings all,
My name is Debris Ash and I am creating this blog in order to show my work

that I found while researching my object that was found on the Marta rail line. I

chose the teacup because of the beauty of the cup regardless of the

deterioration of the cup. While researching, I discovered that the cup itself

express two separate cultural modes from Asian and European countries. The

cup generates historical aspects that I described in my three artifact images.

I was able to understand the historicity  of the teacup as well as the

implications in contemporary society that reflect past forms of thought. This

allowed me to be able to grasp the material culture geographically as well as its

importance in relation to the objects we see on a daily basis without putting a

great deal of thought into it. Without understanding the history of an object, one

can never be able to grasp the multifaceted nature of the objects used in

everyday life.