Minneapolis Institute of Art

Bowl

China

Date

c. 1740

Medium

Glazed porcelain

Department

European Art

Institution

Minneapolis Institute of Art

It took time for distilled alcohols – or spirits - to feature in recreational drinking (as opposed to strictly medicinal uses), but by the 1600s high-proof spirits were ubiquitous throughout Europe and her colonies. This was largely thanks to increasing long distance sea voyages which spirits withstood, unlike beer and wine. The most sociable way to consume spirits was in punch, where rum or brandy mingled with citrus, sugar, and spices. Imagery on the bowl identifies the former owners as the freemasons, a popular social organization for elite men in the 1700s. China, Asia

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