Artwork
Tea
Tea is an oil painting by the Academic Art artist James Tissot. It dates from 1872 and is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
About this work
A woman in a flocked gown and black lace mitts pauses over a silver tea service while the dense London cityscape rises beyond the river.
A woman in a flocked gown and black lace mitts pauses over a silver tea service while the dense London cityscape rises beyond the river. Painted in 1872 by James Tissot after he fled the Paris Commune for London, this panel repeats the left side of his larger genre scene Bad News (National Museum of Wales, Cardiff). Edgar Degas later owned a pencil study for the work, inscribed from Tissot in London.
Subject & Meaning
The painting depicts a young woman in a domestic interior, reacting to news of a captain's departure. She is seated at a table with a tea set, while a Venetian blind covers a window overlooking the River Thames in London, with a ship visible. The composition is a cropped repetition of the left side of Tissot's larger work Bad News, emphasizing the woman's emotional response.
The juxtaposition of domestic objects, tea set, hat, ribbon, with the maritime setting introduces a tension between social ritual and impending separation, suggesting themes of anxiety and loss.
Technique & Style
Tissot executed Tea in oil on a wood panel (66 × 47.9 cm), a support and medium typical of his academic practice. The painting is a cropped repetition of the left side of his larger work Bad News, indicating a deliberate formal reduction that isolates the central figure and her reaction. The handling is meticulous and smooth, characteristic of academic realism, with precise details in the tea set, hat, ribbon, and the view onto the River Thames through a Venetian blind.
The composition balances the woman's pose with the vertical lines of the ship and chair, while the subdued palette and careful lighting underscore the narrative moment. The work adheres to the academic art movement, prioritizing finish and clarity over loose brushwork.
History & Provenance
Painted by James Tissot in 1872, Tea is an oil-on-panel work that reproduces the left-hand side of the artist's larger composition Bad News (Mauvaises Nouvelles). The painting entered the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where it remains. No specific commission or detailed ownership chain is documented in the available sources.
Overview
James Tissot's painting, Tea, created in 1872, is an oil on wood panel. This work captures a moment of domestic life, depicting a woman in a richly detailed interior setting. It is recognized for its refined execution and its subtle narrative, characteristic of Tissot's genre scenes from his London period. The artwork is part of the collection at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
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Artist & collection
Artist
Jacques Joseph Tissot (French:; 15 October 1836 – 8 August 1902), better known as James Tissot (UK: TISS-oh, US: tee-SOH), was a French painter, illustrator, and caricaturist.
