Rhode Island's Hong Bowls and the China Trade
About
What secret histories can be revealed from one object’s history? Hong bowls are large porcelain objects that feature panoramic views of offices, warehouses, and living spaces of Chinese merchants in the 18th century. The recent discovery of visible paint traces of American flags on hong bowls inspired this research by Dr. David Robbins Tien uncovering additional details about the bowls’ commissioning, manufacture, importation, and provenances. Learn how these porcelain objects hold and withhold histories within history.
Free. Registration requested for this in-person program.
Dr. David Robbins Tien was born in Philadelphia to an English mother and Chinese father. His father’s family included officials from both the late Qing and Republican periods. After high school, Dr. Tien lived with his grandparents, then in exile in Taiwan, and learned Mandarin Chinese. After college he became one of the first American students to attend Peking University just as the U.S. and China reestablished diplomatic relations. Returning to the University of Michigan to receive his M.D. in 1983. After specialty training in ophthalmology, he moved to Providence where he joined the Brown University Medical faculty and served as chief of pediatric ophthalmology. The purchase of a Federal house, led to he and his wife’s interest in antiques, which revealed the China trade origins of many of the fortunes of Federal period Rhode Islanders, and the serious collecting of paintings and porcelains of the China trade.
This program is presented in collaboration with the Pottery and Porcelain Club of Rhode Island and the RISD Museum.
The Pottery and Porcelain Club of Rhode Island, a membership organization, was founded in 1947 "to study and promote interest in pottery and porcelain." Scheduled meetings feature lectures by scholars and collectors as well as a study group conducted by club members.