CINCINNATI, OH.- The Taft Museum of Art presents Teatime: Chinese Enamels from the Taft Collection (November 15, 2025–March 22, 2026), the museum’s first exhibition dedicated to the history of tea and its cultural legacy. Adorned with colorful designs, the works of art included in the show are part of a bequest of 89 enamels from the late Reverend Compton Allyn. His gift forms one of the world’s largest known public collections of Chinese painted enamels. Featuring 24 rarely seen works from the museum’s collection—most of which are typically in storage—Teatime offers a unique opportunity to explore the beauty, symbolism, and craftsmanship of enamelware in the context of tea culture in China and beyond.

From intricately decorated teapots and cups to saucers and tea caddies, the objects on view reflect the skill of Qing dynasty artisans. The exhibition also tells the broader story of the cross-cultural exchange of tea’s roots in China and how it became all the rage in 18th-century Europe and America.

“The Taft has a long history steeped in tea traditions—from New Year’s Day parties thrown by museum founders, Anna Sinton Taft and Charles Phelps Taft, in the early 1900s to festive holiday teas offered to visitors today—so it is fitting to celebrate this beloved beverage in an exhibition that also highlights some of the beautiful works of art in the collection,” says Taft Museum of Art Associate Curator, Ann Glasscock.

Visitors who want to extend the tea experience can explore the museum’s Chinese porcelain teapots and other tea-related objects on view in the collection galleries, and through Sunday, January 4, they can enjoy a tea-themed holiday tree with decorations by contemporary artists in the Duncanson Foyer and see the annual holiday display in the Dining Room, “All Set for Afternoon Tea.”

The Taft Museum of Art offers a unique, multi-sensory experience that immerses audiences in spaces to learn, create, and connect—within and beyond its walls.

The museum’s 200-year-old historic house was once home to notable Cincinnatians such as Nicholas Longworth and museum co- founders Anna Sinton Taft and Charles Phelps Taft. The one-of-a-kind landmark is now a destination of international cultural significance. The museum's collection of more than 800 objects includes important Chinese porcelains, European decorative arts, French Renaissance enamels, American furniture, and masterpiece paintings by Thomas Gainsborough, Francisco Goya, Rembrandt van Rijn, John Singer Sargent, J. M. W. Turner, and James McNeill Whistler. Eight monumental landscape murals by Robert S. Duncanson, the first Black American artist to achieve global acclaim, also adorn the walls of the museum’s foyer.