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Unknown Maker, English

Coin ladle

Now On View

Maker

Culture

English

Title

Coin ladle

Year

1787

Medium

Silver and baleen

Materials/Techniques

Techniques

Silver and baleen

Dimensions

33 x 8.9 x 5.1 cm (13 x 3 1/2 x 2 inches)

Signature / Inscription / Marks

Engraved monogram "J (?) B"

Credit / Object Number

Credit

Gift of Richard and Inge Chafee

Object Number

2013.73.3

Type

Metalwork

Exhibition History

Trading Earth

Ceramics, Commodities, and Commerce

Apr 09, 2022 – Aug 03, 2025

Label copy

Much of the rum produced in colonial New England was consumed domestically, sometimes in punch, a popular celebratory, and often communal, drink. Believed to derive from the Sanskrit word pañca, meaning five, punch was made from water mixed with ingredients central to the era’s commercial shipping expeditions—citrus fruit, rum, sugar, and spices. Many Chinese porcelain punch bowls made for export to the West found their way to Providence through maritime activities known as the China Trade, which brought prosperity to many residents of the city.

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This object is in the Public Domain and available under a CC0 1.0 Universal (CC0 1.0) Public Domain Dedication

Tombstone

Unknown Maker, English

Coin ladle, 1787

Silver and baleen

33 x 8.9 x 5.1 cm (13 x 3 1/2 x 2 inches)

Gift of Richard and Inge Chafee 2013.73.3

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