Punch Bowl
CultureEnglish
Dateca. 1680
MediumEarthenware with tin glaze (delftware)
DimensionsOverall: 6 1/2 × 11 3/4 inches (16.51 × 29.85 cm)
Credit LineGift of Frank P. Burnap
Object number57-12
On View
On viewGallery Location
- 112
Collections
DescriptionDeep, footed bowl with interior white ground decorated with Chinese floral sprays in underglaze blue. Exterior in manganese with two rows of four reserved white fish forms painted in blue: larger fish above, smaller below.Gallery LabelLegend has it that this was the "Minnow Bowl" of Izaak Walton, the English writer primarily known for The Compleat Angler (1653), a literary treatise on fishing. Even if this story is only a myth, fish were a popular motif for the exterior and interior of communal punch bowls, suggesting a visual pun: a full bowl was required so that the fish could "swim" and guests could remain merry.
The consumption of punch and wine brought about the production of an array of ceramic vessels for serving these popular beverages. Originating in India and brought to England by British sailors, punch derives its name from the Hindi word panch, or five, referring to the five traditional punch ingredients: water, sugar, citrus, spices and spirits, usually brandy, rum or red wine. Punch, served to a group of guests from bowls or punch pots, was mainly the purview of men, and the ability to prepare the best punch was a point of pride. England imported wines from Spain, Portugal, Germany and the Canary Islands, which were decanted from casks to wine bottles, such as those displayed here.
The consumption of punch and wine brought about the production of an array of ceramic vessels for serving these popular beverages. Originating in India and brought to England by British sailors, punch derives its name from the Hindi word panch, or five, referring to the five traditional punch ingredients: water, sugar, citrus, spices and spirits, usually brandy, rum or red wine. Punch, served to a group of guests from bowls or punch pots, was mainly the purview of men, and the ability to prepare the best punch was a point of pride. England imported wines from Spain, Portugal, Germany and the Canary Islands, which were decanted from casks to wine bottles, such as those displayed here.
Mr. Frank P. Burnap (1861-1957), Kansas City, MO by 1957;
His gift to The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas City, MO, 1957.
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