Bowl (Punch bowl)

Description

This punch bowl is unique among John Burt's substantial output of silver and is unusual for its wide opening supported by three legs in the shape then called cabriole or horsebone with elegant hoof feet. The extravagance of a silver punch bowl is visually underscored by six engraved coats of arms and names filling the exterior: John Greenleaf, Kenelm Winslow, Joseph Grant, Jonathan Mountfort, Samuel Martain, and Lemuel Gowen. Only two of these men appear to be related; research has yet to reveal whether this bowl served as an enduring marker of the group’s social or professional connections. The historical context suggests these six men were part of a club, but their impulse to commission such a bowl from the silversmith and his engraver remains undiscovered.