A white punch bowl with a short foot and teal, green, pink, and red floral decorations along the body and inside of the vessel.
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Unknown Maker, Chinese export

Punch Bowl
Now On View

Maker

Unknown Maker, Chinese export

Culture

Chinese export

Title

Punch Bowl

Year

ca. 1800

Medium

Materials/Techniques

Techniques

Materials

clay products

Dimensions

25.4 cm (10 inches) (diameter) top

Credit / Object Number

Credit

Museum Collection

Object Number

09.311

Type

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.

Image use

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

Tombstone

Unknown Maker, Chinese export
Punch Bowl, ca. 1800
Porcelain with enamels and glaze
25.4 cm (10 inches) (diameter) top
Museum Collection 09.311

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