The Porcelain Vampires

| Tama Rawhiti | Immortal Tea Service (1784) | Porcelain, gold leaf, and enamel |

This unusual set—crafted by the reclusive New Zealand artist Tama Rawhiti—has gathered as much acclaim for its masterful craftsmanship as notoriety for the inexplicable events that surround it.

The set's central teapot commands attention with its haunting pastoral scene rendered in sepia tones, while periwinkle blue borders pulse with golden accents that seem to shift under different lighting conditions. Most striking are the white deer-headed vessels, their elongated necks twisting with an almost serpentine grace that defies conventional porcelain work of the period. These peculiar spouts feature ruby-red eyes that, according to multiple witnesses, follow viewers as they circle the display case.

The service first appeared in 1784 at a salon hosted by Lady Victoria Tremaine, where it caught the eye of Sebastian Drake, a figure whose unchanging appearance had long puzzled London's highest circles. Drake's fascination with the set evolved into obsession when he convinced himself that the deer-headed spouts were guardians of ancient secrets.

Following a trail of suspicious deaths and disappeared collectors, Drake spent years tracking down the service's origins. Each previous owner had reported the same phenomenon: at midnight, the ruby eyes would glow, and the sepia landscape would shift to reveal a different scene, one showing the location of another immortal being.

The tea service's true nature revealed itself when Drake acquired it through a blood-sealed auction. During the first full moon after his purchase, he discovered that drinking from the vessels could transfer immortality between beings. This knowledge led him to betray his centuries-old companion, Evangeline Frost, by tricking her into surrendering her soul through a seemingly innocent tea ceremony.

The price of Drake's betrayal proved steep. The deer-headed vessels enacted their revenge. His stolen eternities began to crack like fine porcelain, aging him centuries in moments until he crumbled to dust, leaving only the pristine tea service behind.

The Immortal Tea Service remains part of our permanent collection, where it continues to challenge the boundary between masterwork and supernatural artifact, reminding us that some vessels contain more than mere tea.

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