Punch Pot
1755–65
Medium
Salt-glazed stoneware, polychrome enamels
Dimensions
19.7 × 31 × 20.1 cm (7 3/4 × 12 3/16 × 7 7/8 in.)
Classification
salt-glazed stoneware
Department
Applied Arts of Europe
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
21502
Rights
Public Domain
About this artwork
Considerably larger than a teapot, this vessel was probably used for punch, a hot drink made with red wine and spices that was a popular beverage in 18th-century England. The naturalism of the handle and spout, modeled in the form of crabapple branches, contrasts with the imaginative freedom of the colorful painted figures. The unknown artist took these vignettes from a series of prints engraved after the work of the French artist François Boucher (1703–1770).
About the Artist
Unknown
The artist designated as "Unknown" in our virtual museum's collection exemplifies a poignant chapter in art history: creators whose identities have faded into obscurity despite the enduring power of their work. With only one known artwork attributed to them in our holdings, this figure represents countless anonymous hands that shaped visual culture across centuries. Museums worldwide, including th...