Punch bowl
Chinese export porcelain to the European market, decorated with European themes and aesthetics
Punch bowl Punch bowl - view BMuseu do Oriente
Punchbowl
China, Qing Dynasty, Qianlong Period (1736-1795), c. 1770-75
Chinese porcelain decorated with famille rose enamels and gold. Diameter: 40 cm
Punchbowl on a high ring foot in white porcelain decorated with famille rose enamels.
The exterior depicts two large reserves showing the Hongs – commercial outposts – of Canton on the banks of the Pearl River.
The decoration used is typical of export porcelain throughout the 18th century.
These pieces were ordered mainly by royal families, religious orders and noble families, from the late 17th century until the beginning of the 20th century.
The first reserve shows the commercial outposts of Denmark and France with their respective flags. The French flag is white, as was the tradition before the establishment of the Republic in 1789.
Punch bowl Punch bowl (Qing dynasty, Qianlong period (1736-1795), c. 1770-75) by unknown authorMuseu do Oriente
The second reserve depicts the warehouses and the flags of Sweden, the United Kingdom and the Netherlands.
The presence of the flags in this piece is important, as it indicates who the main political and commercial actors were at the time in this region.
Punch bowl Punch bowl - view BMuseu do Oriente
The fact that the Imperial Austrian flag is not in this group, as happens in some identical punchbowls, means that this piece precedes the installation of the Austrians in Canton in 1779.
Punch bowl Punch bowl - view AMuseu do Oriente
From 1780 on, the representation of the foreign commercial outposts changed to a continuous scene covering the whole piece. This latter version seems to have been manufactured in larger numbers by the Chinese artists when compared to this piece.
Did you know that thanks to porcelain, silk and tea, great fortunes were built overnight? Hence the Portuguese expression “negócios da China”, or very profitable trade.
© Fundação Oriente - Museu do Oriente
ALVES, Filomena Cunha e ALVES, Paulo Cunha, “Poncheira - As Feitorias de Cantão”, In, Do Oriente ao Ocidente – A Aventura da Porcelana Chinesa de Exportação com Decoração Ocidental (1695-1815), pp. 54-55
Photography: Martin Ollman, Camberra
