Page 278 - Bonhams Catalog Cohen and Cohen Jan 24, 2023 New York

(interior detail)

135 Published:
A UNIQUE ACTOR’S PUNCH BOWL DEPICTING A SCENE Cohen & Cohen, Angels & Demonslayers, Hong Kong, 2012, pp. 68-
FROM ‘CORIOLANUS’ 69, no. 40
Qianlong period, circa 1750-65 Cohen & Cohen, Baroque & Roll, Antwerp, 2015, pp. 106-108, no. 67
Boldly enameled on the exterior on both sides in an unusual palette,
principally shades of black and red, with an elaborate scene of a 出版：
European warrior wearing elaborate armor standing in front of a throne 倫敦Cohen & Cohen古董行，《Angels & Demonslayers》，香
and addressing ladies kneeling before him dressed in medieval robes, 港，2012年，頁68-69，圖版編號40
a large battlemented castle occupying the background, the interior 倫敦Cohen & Cohen古董行，《Baroque & Roll》，安特衛普，2015
decorated with a simulated-black-ink roundel depicting ‘Autumn’ 年，頁106-108，圖版編號67
referring to the Scottish poet James Thomson (1700-1748) and his
1730 poem of that title. This unique punch bowl is decorated with a scene, repeated on the
15 1/2in (39cm) diam opposite side, of the actor James Quin (1693-1766) as Coriolanus on
stage at Covent Garden in 1749, taken from a print titled “Mr. Quin as
$20,000 - 30,000 Coriolanus” published by Carrington Bowles (circa 1695-1767). The
print is known in two versions: one published by Bowles (one version
乾隆時期 約1750-65年 釉上彩繪《科利奧蘭納斯》之一幕潘趣酒碗 in the British museum, another in the Victoria and Albert Museum); the
other by B. Dickinson which has additional verses singing the praises
of the actress Margaret (‘Peg’) Woffington (1720-1760), an example of
which is in the Royal Collection, Buckingham Palace (fig.1).
James Quin, a London-based actor of Irish descent, was one of the
foremost actors of his day, and - along with David Garrick- dominated
the London stage in the second quarter of the eighteenth century. His
character is summarized, not entirely enthusiastically, by his literary
contemporary Tobias Smollett in ‘Humphrey Clinker:’ ‘As an actor
his manner was charged with an excess of gravity and deliberation;
his pauses were so portentous as in some situations to appear even
ludicrous, but he was well fitted for the delivery of Milton’s poetry, and
for the portrayal of the graver roles in his repertory’; an actor clearly
well suited to the lugubrious tone of Thomson’s tragedy ‘Coriolanus’.
One of his lifelong friends, the Scottish playwright and poet James
Thomson (1700-1748) wrote a series of long poems as well as
many plays. Thomson is most famous now for having written the
words for ‘Rule Britannia.’ In 1746 Thomson completed his version
of ‘Coriolanus’, which differs significantly from Shakespeare’s. For a
(fig.1) extensive discussion of this play, and the actors, writers and printers,
associated with this bowl see the online summary: https://www.
cohenandcohen.co.uk/objectdetail/772508/17665/chinese-export-
porcelain-punchbowl (accessed November 8, 2022)

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