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Unknown Maker, Chinese

Punch Bowl with Cantonese Hongs
Now On View

Maker

Unknown Maker, Chinese

Culture

Chinese

Title

Punch Bowl with Cantonese Hongs

Year

1785-1800

Medium

Materials/Techniques

Techniques

Materials

porcelain, enamel

Geography

Place Made: China

Dimensions

15.2 x 36.8 x 36.8 cm (6 x 14 1/2 x 14 1/2 inches)

Credit / Object Number

Credit

Gift of Mrs. Hope Brown Russell

Object Number

09.343

Type

Publications

Articles

On the Other Side

Exhibition History

18th and 19th-Century American Galleries
Jun 19, 2015
Charles Pendleton House
Jan 02, 2015
Making It In America
Oct 11, 2013 – Feb 09, 2014

Label copy

Elizabeth A. Williams, Curator of Decorative Arts and Design: This bowl is both a physical product and pictorial documentation of 18th-century global commerce. It depicts the Canton waterfront, where an American flag flies high among those of European countries including England, France, and Holland, heralding the United States’ successful international trade with China beginning in 1784. A series of buildings known as hongs encircles the bowl’s exterior. Operated by Western nations, hongs served as storehouses for the China trade, a lucrative venture that brought tea, silks, porcelain, lacquerware, and other luxury articles to Western shores.

Deborah Diemente, potter and RISD Museum Head Registrar: An individual studio potter today has little in common with the artisans who produced this bowl. Can it speak to us now? Look closely at the intricate decoration on the exterior. Note not only the number of enamels used, each representing years of experimentation, but also the many techniques of application and depth of color. Some lines flow like watercolor while others are sharp as a knife’s edge. Dozens of specialists, each executing one part of the process, labored on this bowl. Each had a particular expertise and yet the collaboration achieved a resonant harmony that could only come from a shared commitment to perfection. Such a virtuoso display of technique is an inspiration. It reminds me of the day my Japanese teacher turned sharply to a student who had complimented his talent for brushwork decoration, saying, “No, no, it is technique, not talent. You must practice, practice, practice!”

Chinese Export Silver
A Legacy in Luxury
Mar 08, 1985 – Apr 21, 1985
Designed For Another Age
Decorative Arts From Newport Mansions
Mar 20, 1980 – May 04, 1980

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
Punch Bowl with Cantonese Hongs, 1785-1800
Porcelain with enamel
15.2 x 36.8 x 36.8 cm (6 x 14 1/2 x 14 1/2 inches)
Gift of Mrs. Hope Brown Russell 09.343

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