Description & Technical information

American market


A large Chinese export porcelain punchbowl with famille rose decoration, the exterior with two panels of foxhunting scenes, the interior with an East Indiaman in calm waters.
  The exterior decoration is known in a number of foxhunting punchbowls that were popular in the late 18th century, particularly for the American Market. The scenes are derived from Western prints but have been recopied several times in China and the precise source has not been found.
    The interior usually has a pheasant shooting scene taken from a print by Thomas Burfod after James Seymour, but this bowl has a ship inside, suggesting it was a specific commission.

Date:  circa 1785
Period:  Qianlong period
Origin:  China
Medium: porcelain
Dimensions: 39 cm (15³/₈ inches)
Literature: References: Litzenburg 2003, p211, No 213, a plate and a sugar bowl with a very similar ship, from a group of pieces acquired by Martin Root of Montague, Massachusetts.