A 1780s Chinese Porcelain Punch Bowl Depicting the Battle of the Saintes

The Institute’s museum collections and operations manager, Paul Newman, for a Lunch Bite object talk highlighting a recent acquisition for our museum collections: a Chinese porcelain punch bowl depicting the Battle of the Saintes. Produced around 1783, the punch bowl was manufactured for the British market to commemorate the Royal Navy’s victory over the French fleet at the Battle of the Saintes that occurred on April 9-12, 1782. The presentation will explore the bowl’s richly detailed depiction of the battle, how the battle it commemorates was fought, and the impact this British naval victory had on the peace treaty that concluded the American Revolution.