Bristol Delftware Polychrome Punch Bowl with Chinoiserie Garden, Circa 1760
Circa 1760

This 18th-century English delftware punch bowl from Bristol brings a burst of hand-painted color to any room. Around the outside a chinoiserie garden unfolds in iron-red, cobalt blue and soft manganese purple: a pierced garden rock with two round openings anchors the scene, flanked by slender bamboo, a spiky chrysanthemum and a generous, finely hatched peony, all growing from tufts of grass along the foot. Inside, a single peony spray in iron-red and blue waits at the bottom of the bowl to be discovered.

The palette is what makes this piece so easy to live with. The warm brownish-purple of the manganese softens the blue and red, and the pale bluish tin glaze has the gentle, slightly irregular surface that only genuine 18th-century tin-glazed earthenware has. It is a friendly, painterly object rather than a formal one.

Use it as a centerpiece on a dining table or sideboard filled with lemons, pomegranates or a loose arrangement of garden flowers, set it on a stack of books on a coffee table, or give it a shelf of its own in a cabinet of blue-and-white. It sits equally well in a traditional English interior, a coastal house or a modern room that needs one piece with real age and hand.

Details
Origin: Bristol, England
Period: Mid-18th Century, circa 1760
Materials: Tin-glazed earthenware (delftware), hand-painted in polychrome
Styles: Georgian, Chinoiserie, English Traditional
Color: Blue, Iron-Red, Purple, White

Dimensions
Diameter: 10 1/2 inches (26.7 cm)
Height: 5 inches (12.7 cm)

Condition
Good Condition. Typical rim chips and minor glaze loss at the edge, as expected of 18th-century tin-glazed earthenware. Please see photographs.

Provenance
Earle D. Vandekar of Knightsbridge

Reference: NY05194-nlrr


Condition:
Alterations: Original Condition Unaltered
Imperfections: Some Imperfections
Condition Notes: Minor typical delft frits to rim

Origin:
United Kingdom

Materials & Techniques:
Delft

Details:
Country of Origin: United Kingdom
What type of item is it? Vintage / Antique / Used

Original Condition Unaltered; Some Imperfections; Minor typical delft frits to rim