Punch Bowl

Date

ca. 1799-1801

Creator

This large, dark blue bowl, with three decorated ovals and gold silhouettes of wine glasses, falls into the general category of saladiers ordinaries. One oval decoration, showing bunches of grapes surrounded by a gold frame, further speaks to the use of this bowl as being dedicated to the theme of drink for some type of ceremonial occasion. The second decorative oval depicts flowering lemons and the third sugar cane, ingredients that were clearly used for the making of punch, the drink for which this piece was created. The elegance of the floral motifs, especially the delicate handling of the lemon and its buds, suggests that a decorator of genuine ability was given the responsibility of painting the floral segments, including the sugar cane. The gold "Sèvres" mark in cursive script is on the bottom of the bowl. from Weisberg, A Taste for Porcelain: The Virginia A. Marten Collection of Decorative Arts (Notre Dame, 2014)