A rare grisaille armorial punch bowl, Qing dynasty, Yongzheng, 1730's.
For condition report contact specialist
Decorated with Caroliner coins minted around 1718. Diameter 28,5 cm.
Cracks, repair to side.
Literature
There are some punch bowls with not-geld or other Carolus XII memorabilia previously known and documented in the literature, see for example
Sven T Kjellberg, in Svenska Ostindiska Kompanierna page 246.
Also M Lagerquist “Karl XII i Kina, Fataburen page 155-166.
Both these type of punch bowls have been up for auction at Bukowskis.
J. Nordbergs "Konung Carl XII:s historia". Compare silver tankards decorated with Carolus XII’s s.k. Not Geld.
More information
The Swedish East India Company was founded 1731, one of the new commodities that the company brought back a part from large quantities of tea and porcelain was punch. It soon became a popular drink amongst men, and large quantities of punch bowls were commissioned to meet the demands, few have survived to these days.
It had long been a popular fashion to mount commemorative medals and coins on silver tankards and other drinking vessels. So the step to use coins and bank notes as decoration on porcelain was not far when the possibilities to have items custom made in China.
During the late 1730’s the interest in the diseased Swedish King Carolus XII politics and wars escalated.