Chinese Porcelain Punchbowls Provide Peek Into Sydney History

Chinese Porcelain Punchbowls Provide Peek Into Sydney History
Two early 19th Century punchbowls are now on display for a limited time in the Sydney Harbour Gallery at the Australian National Maritime Museum. Supplied
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Two early 19th Century punchbowls are now on display for a limited time in the Sydney Harbour Gallery at the Australian National Maritime Museum, offering a glimpse into the first European settlement.

Made by unknown Chinese craftsmen, the hand-painted ‘Sydney punchbowls’ depict the scenes of the city dating from the Macquarie era (1810-1821). The bowls originated in Canton (now Guangzhou City in China) about three decades after the British settled at Sydney Cove in 1788.