Bowl thumbnail 1
Bowl thumbnail 2
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images
Image of Gallery in South Kensington
On display at V&A South Kensington
Ceramics, Room 137, The Curtain Foundation Gallery

Bowl

ca. 1750-1755 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

This porcelain punch bowl was intended for the export market. It bears a scene copied from a print from1749 by the British painter and printmaker William Hogarth (1697-1764). Called ‘The Gate of Calais, O the Roast Beef of Old England’, it is an example of Hogarth's witty xenophobia against France and the Scottish Jacobites. The scenes feature the striking differences between all aspects of life and religion between the French, the Scots and the English, with the English, of course, shown as superior. Satirical prints attacking France became one of the most enduring and successful print themes in British history with this print being copied in several different versions.

The coat of arms above the gate on the bowl belong to the Rumboldts whose family members served in the East India Company. Sir Thomas Rumboldt, Governor of Madras from 1778-1780, probably commissioned this piece along with another service. The scroll and shell decorative border was popular on Chinese export porcelain between 1745 and 1755.


Object details

Categories
Object type
Materials and techniques
Porcelain, painted in coloured enamels
Brief description
Punch bowl with 'The Gate of Calais' scene, China, Jingdezhen, Qing dynasty, ca. 1750-55
Physical description
Punch bowl made of porcelain painted in enamels and gilt; decorated on the outside with a scene copied from a 1749 print by William Hogarth called 'The Gate of Calais, O the Roast Beef of Old England'. Inside, a border of gilt rococo scrolls and shells, and a rose in the centre.
Dimensions
  • Diameter: 40.5cm
  • 15.8 height: cm
  • Height: 166mm
  • Width: 402mm
Content description
France, England, 'The Gate of Calais'
Style
Gallery label
PUNCHBOWL AFTER THE GATE OF CALAIS PRINT BY WILLIAM HOGARTH About 1750–55 Porcelain decorated in overglaze enamels Jingdezhen Basil Ionides Bequest Museum no. C.23-1951 清中期 加萊之門場景圖潘趣酒碗(23/02/2016)
Credit line
Basil Ionides Bequest
Summary
This porcelain punch bowl was intended for the export market. It bears a scene copied from a print from1749 by the British painter and printmaker William Hogarth (1697-1764). Called ‘The Gate of Calais, O the Roast Beef of Old England’, it is an example of Hogarth's witty xenophobia against France and the Scottish Jacobites. The scenes feature the striking differences between all aspects of life and religion between the French, the Scots and the English, with the English, of course, shown as superior. Satirical prints attacking France became one of the most enduring and successful print themes in British history with this print being copied in several different versions.

The coat of arms above the gate on the bowl belong to the Rumboldts whose family members served in the East India Company. Sir Thomas Rumboldt, Governor of Madras from 1778-1780, probably commissioned this piece along with another service. The scroll and shell decorative border was popular on Chinese export porcelain between 1745 and 1755.
Bibliographic reference
Lu p. 152
Collection
Accession number
C.23-1951

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Record createdFebruary 13, 2003
Record URL
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