The Sydney Punchbowl
A new work
by Elizabeth Ellis OAM (author of Rare
& Curious) investigating the milieu and the mysteries of the
magnificent "Sydney Punchbowl", one of the most fascinating treasures
of the Mitchell Library in the State Library of New South Wales. A fine and
large porcelain bowl manufactured in China as export ware about 1820, the
Punchbowl is decorated with a hand-painted panoramic scene of Sydney Cove
around the outside and a group of Aboriginal figures as the inner centre-piece,
and finished with exquisite Chinese-style floral and gilded bandings. As
Elizabeth's book makes clear, the Punchbowl and its intriguing history deserve
to be better known, which is why Hordern House has also commissioned a deluxe
limited edition replica of the bowl, hand-crafted by Chinese craftsmen in
Jingdezhen, China. This book also includes a brief essay on the making of the
replica.