Punch bowl

The bowl is complete; a few breaks have been repaired with iron studs and glue. The bowl is circular in shape. In profile, the wall is slightly flared at the top and topped by a straight rim. The lower part of the wall is curved towards the bottom, which is flat. The bowl rests on a solid ring-shaped foot, whose beveled base is free of glaze. The outer surface has five pairs of holes with traces of rusty iron studs; four of these pairs go around the bottom; the decoration almost completely covers the outer surface of the bowl, as well as the inner rim and bottom. The decoration is of a floral type treated in Imari. It is hand-painted in two-tone blue underglaze, then traced and painted in iron red, with gold highlights, over glaze. The braid under the inner edge is traced in blue. It is composed of two alternately repeated elements. One element is a plant motif traced in red and painted in red and gold, which is set between two arcs made of three concentric lines traced and painted in red. The second set is a latticework of lozenges or stars traced in red; the center is trimmed with a flower traced and painted in red, with gilding. The inner base of the bowl is set within a ring traced in blue. It features a leafy plant in bloom. The stem and some leaves are outlined and painted in blue. Leaves and the flower are traced and painted in red, with gold highlights, while other leaves are painted with veins. Most of the gilding has been removed. On the outer wall, the decoration consists of a main scene surmounted by a horizontal braid. The braid is outlined in blue and consists of two alternately repeated elements. One element is a plant motif traced in blue and red, and painted in blue, red and gold, set between two arcs of three concentric lines traced and painted in blue. The second set is a latticework of double lozenges, with a central core outlined in red and painted gold, and radiating lines outlined in red. The main motif features two pairs of alternating floral plant motifs. One pair features a flower similar to an aster, while the other is similar to the motif adorning the inner background. These plant motifs rest on a blue-painted net. The outside of the foot is decorated with a row of ovals with a central line, drawn in red. The top of the bowl is covered with a brown-painted ferruginous coating.