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For internal use only
On Display: House - Vauxhall Room
Bowl (Punch bowl)
'A Midnight Modern Conversation'
1750-1760
Description
This tin-glazed earthenware (delftware) punch bowl is painted in underglaze blue. The central reserve reproduces William Hogarth's circa 1732 "A Midnight Modern Conversation" portraying known personages at a drinking party. The upper edge is painted orange-red in imitation of brown-edged Chinese porcelains. On the exterior, a continuous blue European landscape features buildings and human figures.
Category
Ceramics
Place of Origin
Liverpool; Merseyside; England; United Kingdom; Europe
Materials
- Earthenware (delftware, faience)
- Tin glaze
Museum Object Number
1984.0030
Credit Line/Donor
Museum purchase with funds provided by Mr. and Mrs. John Mayer and Mrs. Lammot du Pont Copeland
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Complete Details
Object Number
1984.0030
Object Name
Bowl (Punch bowl)
Title
'A Midnight Modern Conversation'
Category
Ceramics
Place of Origin
Liverpool; Merseyside; England; United Kingdom; Europe
Date
1750-1760
Mark/Signature/Inscription/Label
Type: Inscription
Location: In central reserve
Inscription: Painted underglaze blue "A Midnight Modern Conversation" on banner
Mark/Signature: No
Materials
- Earthenware (delftware, faience)
- Tin glaze
Techniques
- Thrown
- Painted
Dimensions (inches)
6 (H) x 10.25 (Diam)
Dimensions (centimeters)
15.24 (H) x 26.04 (Diam)
Bibliography and Bibliographic Notes
Article: Grigsby, Leslie B. 07//2012 Mirth & Friendship: A Celebration of Humor and Alcoholic Beverages. Antiques and Fine Art. XII (1): 185-87.
• Published: p. 185, fig. 1Article: Harvey, Karen. 2008 "Barbarity in a Teacup? Punch, Domesticity and Gender in the Eighteenth Century". Journal of Design History. 21 (3): 205-221.
• Published: p. 208, fig. 2Article: Grigsby, Leslie B. 11//2004 "From Punch Bowls to Puzzle Jugs: Drinking Vessels and Traditions in Britain and America". Winterthur Magazine. Winter 2004: 10-11.
• Published: pp.10-11Book: Fowble, E. McSherry. 1991 To Please Every Taste: Eighteenth-Century Prints from the Winterthur Museum.
• Published: pp.162-163, no.63.Article: Grigsby, Leslie B. 01//2002 'Drink Fair Dont Swear': Winterthur's punch bowls and punch drinking in America. Antiques. 176-183.
• Published: p. 177, pls. II, IIa.Catalogue: Sotheby's (auction catalogue).
• Sold at auction: London, Morgan sale, March 25, 1980, lot 65Book: City Art Gallery, Manchester. 1969 The Incomparable Art: English Pottery from the Thomas Greg Collection.
• Same subject delft punch bowl with different border and hunt scene exterior exterior: pp. 40-41, blue and white with manganese details, inscribed "LAWRENCE HARRISON 1748." Possibly by same hand as Winterthur's.Article: Mallet, John V. G. 1966 John Baddely of Shelton. Transactions of the English Ceramic Circle. 6 (2): 124-166.
• More on Harrison 1754 bowl: p. 130 and pls. 125-126 a, b, noting same scene on delft bowl at Royal Scottish Museum, Edinburgh and Willett Collection, Brighton MuseumCatalogue: 2007 Christie's (sales catalogue).
• Blue and white Liverpool delftware example bearing same central scene: January 26, 2010 (NY), Benjamin F. Edwards III sale, lot 374Book: van Dam, Jan Daniel. 2004 Delffse Porceleyne/Dutch Delftware 1620-1850.
• Blue and white Dutch Delft bowl with the Conversation scene: p. 184, no. 131, c. 1750-70. Hogarth scene is painted on exterior of bowl.Book: Howard, David Sanctuary. 1997 A Tale of Three Cities: Canton, Shanghai & Hong Kong.
• Chinese porcealin punch bowl with polychrome enamel Midnight Modern scene opposing Chinese drinking scene: p. 119, no. 146, c. 1775Book: Tharp, Lars. 1997 Hogarth's China: Hogarth's Paintings and Eighteenth-Century Ceramics.
• Blue and white English delft bowl with same scene: frontis (Manchester City Art Gallery example, dated 1748); chapter on Midnight Modern wares, pp. 46-55