Teapot in the Shape of a Plum Blossom by Shi Dabin on an ombre white background.
Teapot in the Shape of a Plum Blossom by Shi Dabin (Chinese, active 1620-40). Early 17th century, Qing dynasty (1644–1911). Yixing ware. 9.5 cm. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Purchase, Ann Eden Woodward Foundation Gift, 1982; 1982.362a, b. Image made available through Open: The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Professor Katharine Burnett to discuss Ming Teapots at Global Tea Institute colloquium

  • by Staff

Professor Katharine Burnett, founding director of the Global Tea Institute at UC Davis, will present a talk on  ”The Marvelously Extraordinary, Inventively Original Late Ming Teapot” at the annual Global Tea Institute Colloquium. Everybody knows what a teapot looks like. Or do they? Actually, when did a teapot start to look like a teapot? And why did they suddenly look so peculiar in China’s late 16th century, and then later, elsewhere in the world?

The conference, whose theme is The Art of Tea in Culture and Science, Society and Health,” will explore the arts and artful ways in which tea is understood across the disciplines and in the tea industry.

January 29, 2026 from 9:00 a.m. — 5:00 p.m. at the UC Davis Conference Center.

Primary Category

Art History