Punch Bowl
c. 1789
Medium
Hard-paste porcelain, glaze, enamels in colors, gilding
Dimensions
15 × 36.3 × 25.8 cm (5 15/16 × 14 5/16 × 10 3/16 in.)
Classification
punch bowl
Department
Arts of the Americas
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
117475
Rights
Public Domain
About this artwork
Chinese officials limited all international trading to the city of Canton, and segregated foreigners within a 15-acre area. Decorated in grisaille, or monochrome, the exterior of this punch bowl shows the 13 trade buildings, known as hongs (foreign factories), that lined this restricted area. Each building was associated with a particular country, and they doubled as counting houses and living quarters, where agents resided during the fall trading season. In this view of the hongs, the American ...