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Punch Bowl with Masonic Symbols
1790-1820
Maker not marked
China
Porcelain
overall: 4"h x 9-1/4"dia.
Gift of Frederick B. Doolittle
77.32

White punch bowl has gold rim with triangular band design along the inside top. At the center inside is a pair of columns with a "G" inside a sunburst. Along the sides are a sun, the moon and a group of stars. The outside has a stylized floral band around the rim. The sides show arrangements of Masonic symbols including a square and compasses, beehive, trestle table, feather brush, smooth and rough ashlar, lewis lifting ring, plumb, marking gauge and level. The symbols are painted in red, blue, gold, yellow, brown, and green. The under-glaze designs are painted in sepia. The bowl has a round base.


The punch bowl belonged to George Doolittle (1759-1825), a shoemaker who fought in the Revolutionary War. He was commissioned a brigadier general in 1800 and served in the War of 1812. Doolittle married Grace Wetmore (1766-1836) in 1783 and they had 12 children. The bowl, which is typical of the type made in China for export to the United States, was passed down in the family. According to the will of one of Doolittle's ancestors, "the punch bowl...came to my husband from his ancestor who was an officer in the Revolutionary Army, the bowl having been a testimonial to him from brother officers (presumably Freemasons, as was he)." For further information, see Newell, Aimee E., "The Badge of a Freemason," 2015, p.100 AND see Hamilton, John D., "Material Culture of the American Freemasons," 1994, p. 215, 277.



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