Man and Child Drinking Tea

Dateca. 1730

Possibly by Richard Collins (active 1721-1736)

MediumOil on canvas

DimensionsUnframed: 28 x 24 1/2in. (71.1 x 62.2cm) and Framed: 33 3/4 x 30 1/4 x 2in. (85.7 x 76.8 x 5.1cm)

Credit LineMuseum Purchase

Object number1954-654

DescriptionA man and child are shown behind a table. (The man appears to be seated; the child could be seated on his lap). The front edge of the table is placed at the forward edge of the picture plane to create a composition tightly focused on the two sitters (who are visible only from the waist up) and their tea-drinking paraphernalia, which are assembled on the tabletop directly in front of them.
The man is turned slightly towards the viewer's right but looks directly at the viewer. He holds a handle-less porcelain teacup in his proper right hand and wears a red cap and yellow-brown dressing gown faced with blue. At far right, the child, eyes downcast, wears a gold-colored dress and sips from another handless porcelain cup.
On the table in front of the two is a silver tea service, plus a third, handle-less porcelain cup sitting on a saucer.

The period replacement frame, a 3 1/4-inch cyma reversa molding, painted brown with a gilded liner, appears to have been supplied by The Old Print Shop, New York, NY, in 1955.
Label TextWhile many eighteenth-century English conversation pieces show families engaged in the social ritual of tea drinking, few paintings showcase tea wares as prominently as this one. Here, the service is an "assembled" one, that is, one put together over time, so there is stylistic inconsistency among the individual pieces. The ornate waste bowl and spoon tray reflect rococo tendencies, for example, whereas the sugar bowl, tea canister, milk jug, and teapot illustrate a newer, plainer style. Sugar tongs balance precariously over the near edge of the table, recalling Dutch trompe l'oeil (fool the eye) still life paintings of an earlier century. It is impossible to say whether the metal wares depicted here are silver or pewter (though the tongs would be rare in pewter); given that the tea service is assembled, it may include both. The porcelain saucers and handle-less teacups are Chinese export wares. Handled cups were also available at the time but were somewhat more expensive (and did not become the norm until about the 1820s).

Two London institutions own compositionally-related pictures, but the link between them and Colonial Williamsburg's work is unclear, including whether the three share a common author. The London paintings are larger, incorporate more figures, and are sometimes described as possibly having been done by Richard Collins. Information about Collins is sparse, however, and the basis for the speculative attributions is undetermined. The version owned by the Victoria and Albert Museum incorporates three figures, including a woman at far right. The version owned by The Goldsmiths' Company incorporates four figures, including a small child who stands in the lower right foreground.

InscribedNo original markings found 1/20/2004, although the painting is now lined and the current backing board was not removed for examination. The letter "F" appears on the backs of a all four frame members. "48" over "36" and "46" over "36" are both written on the back of the top frame member, the first set of numbers on a paper label. "3" is written on the back of the lower frame member. In pencil in script running parallel to the frame edge, on the back of the left frame member, is written what appears to be "Dwing Room [? over?] Chimney".
ProvenanceOwnership prior to CWF's source, New York City vendor James Lewis & Son, Inc., is undocumented.