At the Tea Table - The Making of a National Drink: a Museum Late

In the event that online bookings for this event have sold out, you may still be able to attend by collecting a ticket at the door. Please note that walk‑in tickets are offered on a first‑come, first‑served basis and depend on venue capacity on the night.

Can't make it on the night? The temporary exhibition 'The Chitra Collection - At the Tea Table' will be on view 5 to 29 May.

When: Thursday 21 May , 5.15pm to 8pm (last entry 7.30pm)

In stunning collaboration with the Chitra Collection and Newby Teas, the Bank of England Museum hosts a limited-time display uncovering how tea, once a rare and costly import from Asia, became woven into the fabric of British life. Explore a beautiful culmination of craft, history, trade and tea through this thoughtful evening event.

Visitors can expect limited-time displays, activities, and an exquisite talk from guest curator Evelyn Earl at 6pm.

Booking is required for this talk. Please select '6pm Talk + General Admission' as your ticket type when you book to attend on the following screen - this will cover admittance to both the late event and the talk. In the event that this ticket type has sold out, you may still be able to attend the talk on the night. Please note, these walk-in spaces are allocated on a first-come first-served basis at 6pm after ticket-holders have been seated.

If you have booked a ticket for the talk, please ensure you arrive promptly to the Museum's Learning Space for 6pm. We cannot guarantee admittance if you are late for the talk, even if you have booked a ticket.

Today, tea seems inseparable from British identity, but how did this develop? Thousands of years after its discovery in China, tea arrived on English shores in the 17th century and quickly transformed social practices, craft industries and modes of representation. This talk considers this early encounter, while also highlighting the often overlooked yet instrumental role played by Dutch merchants, writers, patrons and artists in popularising this new commodity in Europe. Such exchanges unfolded amid intense Anglo-Dutch political and economic interaction, marked by the reign of William III, the ‘Financial Revolution’ and increasing rivalry between the Dutch and British East India Companies.

The focus of my discussion is an extraordinary still life painting of a tea table by Dutch-born London-based artist Pieter Gerritsz. Roestraten (ca. 1630–1700), which also inspired the exhibition’s opening display. At the centre of the painting stands a silver candlestick, after a design by Anthony Nelme; an example is housed in the Bank of England Museum, also on display in the exhibition. As I shall explore, this striking composition depicts tea as intimately entangled with other commodities: porcelain, silver, lacquer and sugar – establishing the tea table as a site where complex global networks converged.

Evelyn Earl is a Wolfson Scholar and PhD candidate in the History of Art at University College London. Her project explores tea in Anglo-Dutch visual and material culture, ca. 1650-1750. This research builds upon three years spent as curator of the Chitra Collection. Whilst holding this post, Evelyn curated two exhibitions: ‘The Craft of Tea 1660-2024’, (2024) and ‘New Forms: Tea and Contemporary Design’ (2025), both in partnership with the Goldsmiths’ Centre. She has acted as an Associate Curator for ‘At the Tea Table: The Making of a National Drink’ at the Bank of England Museum (2026).

In the event that online bookings for this event have sold out, you may still be able to attend by collecting a ticket at the door. Please note that walk‑in tickets are offered on a first‑come, first‑served basis and depend on venue capacity on the night. To guarantee your spot for next time, consider signing up to our newsletter; all our subscribers receive early access tickets for our events.

• The event is free to attend, but booking is required. To attend the 6pm talk, please select the correct ticket type ('6pm Talk + General Admission') when you make your booking.
• In the event that online bookings for this event have sold out, you may still be able to attend by collecting a ticket at the door. Please note that walk‑in tickets are offered on a first‑come, first‑served basis and depend on venue capacity on the night.
• The event will begin at 5.15pm. The Museum will close temporarily at 5pm for security reasons, and reopen 15 minutes later.
• The venue must be vacated by 8pm. Last entry to this event is 7.30pm.
• Please note there is airport-style security at the Museum's entrance.
• You can find out more about the accessibility of our Museum on our accessibility page.

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Host or Publisher Bank of England Museum