Punch Bowl
c. 1789
Artist unknown (Chinese, made for the American market) China
China
Chinese officials limited all international trading to the city of Canton, and segregated foreigners within a 15-acre area. Decorated in grisaille, or monochrome, the exterior of this punch bowl shows the 13 trade buildings, known as hongs (foreign factories), that lined this restricted area. Each building was associated with a particular country, and they doubled as counting houses and living quarters, where agents resided during the fall trading season. In this view of the hongs, the American factory lies between those of the United Kingdom and the Netherlands, suggesting that this was an early rendering, made before the United States permanently established its factory next to Sweden’s.
Hard-paste porcelain, glaze, enamels in colors, gilding