Punch Bowl

Original OwnerOriginally owned by Colonel Jeremiah Wadsworth (American, 1743 - 1804)

MakerMade by Unknown

Date1785-1790

MediumWheel-thrown Chinese export porcelain with gilding and overglaze hand-painted polychrome enamels

DimensionsPrimary Dimensions (height x diameter): 6 3/16 x 16 1/8in. (15.7 x 41cm)

ClassificationsCeramics

Credit LineGift of Frances E. Brinley

Object number1955.14.1.1

DescriptionLarge, Chinese export porcelain punch bowl with hand-painted overglaze enamels and gilding. The punch bowl is decorated on the inside with a border and group of flowers, while a Chinese scene circles the outside of the bowl. The punch bowl sits on a circular foot that is decorated with a small, gilded, Greek key border. A line of red enamel is painted at both the top and bottom of the foot. The finely detailed scene that circles the bowl shows Chinese men and women dressed in robes standing on a balcony beneath a tree that looks out over a body of water. There are scenes of adults and children fishing, playing musical instruments, and sitting or standing in conversational groups in front of a Chinese structure. All these scenes are framed by mountains, a body of water, and a blue sky in the distance. The scene is painted with great attention to detail, including costume, facial expressions, instruments, birds, trees, architecture, and the boats in the background. The inside of the punch bowl is hand-painted in the center with a spray of pink, purple, and yellow flowers on stems with leaves. A border is painted at the inner rim, consisting of suspended double 'C' scroll diamond and bell-flower ornaments connected by scalloped decorations and orange enamel feathers. A plain line of gilding decorates the top edge of the rim.

Documents in the object file state that the punch bowl was damaged on or about 16 September 1957 when it was in transit to the Wilmington Society of Fine Art in Wilmington, Delaware. The punch bowl broke into three large pieces, with additional chips in the porcelain. The punch bowl was repaired well, although a white putty-like substance is visible in some areas along the previous breaks where the substance was used to fill in missing porcelain chips. At that time, small portions of the enamel and gilding were repainted, where the break had damaged the decoration. This is most evident along the border and rim, but not on the sides or bottom of the punch bowl. Otherwise, the hand-painted enamel decoration retains its original crispness and does not show signs of chipping, flaking, or wear.

NotesProvenance Note: According to a letter written by the donor about 1955, the punch bowl and its box belonged to Colonel Jeremiah Wadsworth (1743-1804) of Hartford, Connecticut. Judith E. Johnson, CHS Library Genealogist, determined that Francis E. Brinley (1877-1967) is the great great grandaughter of Jeremiah Wadsworth. A likely line of descent through the family could be: Colonel Jeremiah Wadsworth (1793-1804) who married Mehitable Russell (1735-1811). Their daughter, Catherine Wadsworth (1774-1881), married Nathaniel Terry (1768-1842). Their daughter, Frances Ellen Terry (1816-1876), married George Brinley Jr. (1817-1875). George and Frances's son, George Brinley III (1842-1892), married Mary E. Carter (1842-1935). Their unmarried daughter, Frances E. Brinley (1877-1967), gave the punchbowl and its box to the Connecticut Historical Society in 1955. (Johnson and Hunt 1/26/2005)

Historical Note: The donor's note (from about 1955) also states "family tradition is that, when Gen. George Washington was on his way to Boston he stayed with Jeremiah Wadsworth and drank punch from this bowl." Unfortunately, no eighteenth-century document has confirmed this family history. Instead, it is assumed that he drank from this punch bowl, along with other well-known Revolutionary War era individuals, while visiting Jeremiah Wadsworth, because the Wadsworth family would have used their most expensive and impressive household objects when serving prominent visitors. (Hunt 1/13/2005)

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