Tea-Time by Vladimir Egorovitch Makovski
This very nice picture, entitled Tea Time and painted in 1883 by Vladimir Egorovitch Makovski, will be up for auction tomorrow at Drouot in Paris. This painting, in the midst of the hype surrounding Russian Art (due to the great exhibition currently on display at the Musée d'Orsay), even though it has a restored gash in the middle, is expected to fetch quite a price as it's estimate is 20 000 to 25 000 €.
Let's take a closer look at this quite poetic picture. The gentleman depicted is inspecting his preparations for tea-time and he is obviously expecting a lady. He has set the table with his fine china and in the middle of it, in typical Russian fashion, proudly stands his samovar. The teapot is ready and kept warm on top of it. In front of the samovar, a little bouquet and gift are arrayed in a precise fashion ready to welcome the lady for whom this gentleman has gone through all this trouble. It's a warm, intimate, domestic scene typical of Russian painting of the late nineteenth century. It also shows the timeless value of sharing a cup of tea...
The first Festival du Thé is taking place this weekend and until the end of tomorrow in Paris. The goal of the event is to introduce the general public to the enormous diversity that is to be found in the world of tea and to explain that tea is much more than just Lipton Yellow Label tea bags. To that end they have organized several tracks to present what they call a world of scents and colors (the various types of tea), a world of origins (countries of origin and specifically Sri Lanka, Japan, China, India and Kenya), a world for today (when, where and what to drink as tea in today's world) and last a world of spirituality and happiness (beauty and health benefits, relaxation, stimulation).