Masonic Punch Bowl
Datec. 1790 - 1810
MediumTransfer-printed creamware
Dimensions5 × 13 inches (12.7 × 33 cm)
Credit LineMuseum purchase with funds provided by Mrs. Davida Tenenbaum Deutsch, Mr. Albert Stoddard, Mr. and Mrs. M. Aaron Levy, Mr. John Welsh, an anonymous donor, Mr. and Mrs. John G. Kennedy, Judge Phyllis Kravitch, Mr. and Mrs. Dale Critz, Sr., Mr. and Mrs. Norton M. Melaver, Dr. Milton Mazo and Mr. Billy K. Poole, Mrs. Pat Zemurray, Mr. and Mrs. Leigh Carter, Mrs. Marie Davis, Mrs. Harriett B. DeLong, Mr. and Mrs. Leonard Kantziper, Mr. And Mrs. Roger Maguire, Mrs. John E. Hartshorn, and an anonymous donor in honor of Dr. Milton Mazo in appreciation for his life of giving to others and in memory of the Honorable and Mrs. Walter Dowling.
Object number2004.2
CopyrightThe images and text contained on this page are owned by Telfair Museums or used by the Museum with permission from the owners. Unauthorized reproduction, transmission or display of these materials is prohibited with the exception of items deemed “fair use” as defined by U.S. and international copyright laws.Label TextPictured here is a rare, transfer-printed masonic punch bowl made in Liverpool, England for the American market. Emblazoned on the side of the bowl is a black floral wreath encircling the inscription, "CHRISTOPHER GUNN / SAVANNAH", which is partially obscured by the later addition of a gilded monogram, "PAR". Three elaborate, and heavily symbolic scenes, adorn the exterior, while simpler emblems ring the interior of the rim - culminating in a fanciful illustration within the center of the bowl. Of the four prints decorating this bowl, the interior central motif frequently appears in masonic depictions; however, the exterior prints of the bowl are much more unusual. "A Free Mason Form'd out of the Materials of his Lodge" can be traced to an engraving after Alexander Slade, circa 1754, while the other two prints are reminiscent of engravings by Pierre Lambert de Lintot, a French Mason working in London in between 1770-80.
Although little is known of Christopher Gunn (1759-1816), his death is recorded in the Georgia Historical Society's Register of Deaths in Savannah, Georgia, Vol. III, p. 165. Gunn's demise occurred on Christmas Day, 1816 "in the Market Squeer two doors down from the Corner of Barnard Street", and the unfortunate event caused by "mortification in the breast". It is interesting to note that Gunn operated an inn on Bay Lane in Savannah, near Solomon's Lodge #1. An identical bowl with similar gilding, also inscribed "Christopher Gunn / Savannah", is in the collection of Solomon's Lodge, #1, and bears a later paper label noting that it was made for Philip A. Ridgway, possibly relevant to the over-gilt monogram on this bowl.
