The pieces are 86mm wide, 16mm high, and 90mm long. There are three pieces total. The two smaller pieces make up the rim. They are primarily white, and are decorated in blue paint with blue and yellow leaves and a blue border. The bigger piece is round and white, making up the base of the punch bowl.
85mm x 16mm x 90mm (W x H x L)
Rim Diameter: 190mm
Base Diameter: 63mm
When looking at these punch bowl pieces, consider the following questions:
- What was this originally used for? Why do you think it was discarded?
- Who might have used this dish? How was it used?
- Where do you think the missing pieces went?
- Why is archaeology important?
Classroom Materials downloads are ZIP files that include, when available: document images (JPEGs), document transcripts (PDF as well as Word and/or Excel files), and ready to use classroom resources (activities, discussion prompts, lesson plans, etc.). These materials are available for educational uses only. If you would like to reproduce them in any other medium, please contact Dawn Bonner, Manager of Visual Resources.
DownloadThese pieces of a punchbowl were found in the House for Families, which was a structure that was home to many different enslaved families near the Mansion. This punchbowl was hand-painted to look like a fancy Chinese bowl. The bowl could have been used for many things - stews, soups, foods, and, of course, punch. It was most likely used by people who were enslaved at Mount Vernon.