A Rare and Important Chinese Export American Market Shipping Subject Presentation Punch Bowl, Qu...

A Rare and Important Chinese Export American Market Shipping Subject Presentation Punch Bowl, Quing Dynasty, Qianlong Period, (1736-1795), ca. 1792. Large footed bowl decorated with an American sailing vessel in the well, overgilt orange enamel borders on interior and exterior rim, the latter embellished with floral swags, and floral sprays alternating with two floral reserves initialed 'GC' on the outside wall, includes conservation record and large research file. diam. 15 1/2, ht. 6 1/8 in. Footnotes: Provenance David Orgell, Inc., Beverly Hills, California, 5 October 1982. Note Only six other punch bowls for the American market of this type are recorded. The source for the ship design was an illustration of the British ship Hall from the frontispiece in William Hutchinson's Treatise on Practical Seamanship (London 1777), but in these examples the ship bears a large American flag with thirteen stars. On some, the ship is repeated twice on the exterior; with or without banners and inscriptions in the center; and with or without initials on opposite sides. One bears an inscribed banner above the central ship, 'JOHN GREEN / EMPRESS OF CHINA / COMMANDER' (New Jersey State Museum). This was made for the ship's captain, John Green (1736-1796) of Philadelphia, who was first sent to Canton in 1784 and returned in 1785; a second voyage was made aboard the Empress in 1786. Another bowl bears the inscription, 'SHIP GRAND TURK / AT CANTON 1786' (Peabody Essex Museum). The Empress and the Grand Turk departed Canton in December of 1786, implying that both captains ordered bowls at the same time. The Hope, captained by James Magee (1750-1801), left Canton a month later, in January of 1787. Magee made multiple trips to China, but the style of his bowl (Peabody Essex Museum) suggests he ordered his in 1786 as well. Another carries the initials 'JL' on the exterior (Metropolitan Museum of Art). This belonged to John Lamb (1775-1800), the collector of customs for the port of New York, which put him in close ties to those leaving NY for China. John Barry (1745-1803), of Philadelphia, sailed to Canon in 1787 on the Alliance and commissioned a bowl with the banner, 'JOHN BARRY, Es / ALLIANCE COMMANDER' (Philadelphia Maritime Museum). Richard Dale (1756-1826) of Philadelphia served under John Barry, with whom he was a life-long friend. Dale owned a bowl with the initials 'RD' (Philadelphia Maritime Museum). He had been aboard the Canton, captained by Thomas Truxton, which departed in December 1786 along with the Empress and the Grand Turk, and he captained his own ship, the Federalist, in 1789. It is unclear on which voyage Dale ordered his bowl. This bowl has his monogram in an oval floral reserve repeated twice on the exterior. The current bowl, often referred to in the field as 'the seventh bowl,' has the same oval floral reserve as the Dale bowl, here with the initials 'G C.' This must be for Captain Gustavus Conyngham (1747-1819) as he is the only captain recorded with those initials [see, Rhys Richards and Briton C. Busch, 'United States Trade with China 1784-1814', The American Neptune, vol. 54, special supplement, 1995, p. 14]. Conyngham captained the Hannibal which departed Canton for Philadelphia in November 1792. Whether he voyaged to Canton earlier, under the command of another captain, is currently unknown. Conyngham, who was born in Ireland, became a commissioned captain and fought in the American Revolutionary War. After the war, Conyngham became a merchant ship captain. He later participated in the defense of Philadelphia in the War of 1812 and died in 1819. As a Philadelphia sea captain, Conyngham would certainly have known John Green, John Barry, and Richard Dale, and would certainly have known their punch bowls. This is the only bowl of this style not in a museum. For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com For further information about this lot please visit the lot listing