Relevant categories: Silver Plate
Silver plated punch bowls have their origins in seventeenth century England. Punch bowls were probably brought to the UK by sailors and other employees of the British East India trading company in the early part of that century. The word ‘punch’ comes from the Hindi word ‘paantch’, the literal translation meaning ‘five’ but the word was also used to describe the traditional drink that contains five different ingredients; spirit, sugar, lemon, water and either tea or spices. This drink was traditionally served in large wide bowls and was so popular with western visitors, that both the drink and the bowls soon made their way to England and the rest of Europe. They also double up as great silver plate champagne buckets to really get the party started right.
Often elaborately decorated, it became a widely practiced custom, in British society, to present newlyweds with the best quality punch bowl the families could afford. Silver plate punch bowls became increasingly popular as wedding presents, as families competed to gift new couples with better and more expensive ones than their peers. These Silver-plated punch bowls were often given as punch sets, including matching cups, stands and ladles and tended to be handed down from generation-to-generation. Today they also great at keeping the wine and champagne cool as they function as wonderful wine coolers.
Silver plated punch bowls were not just for private use, they were seen as a status symbol and some are even famous. The Stanley cup is a Silver-plated punch bowl and, the 9th infantry regiment of the US army was presented with a Silver-plated punch bowls by china, during the boxer rebellion of 1900. This, the regiments’ most prized possession, weighs in at over 90 pounds and has an estimated current value of $2.5m. Can you imagine converting this to function as a modern day silver plate champagne cooler, that would definitely get the party started with a fizz.
Owning an antique silver-plated punch bowl still offers a sense of class and finery. Finding a beautifully crafted, complete, matching set, especially one with a verifiable history behind it, would not only provide a talking-point with admirers, but will be highly desirable to any collector. Come view these items in our Canonbury Antiques Hertfordshire showroom, please get in touch for an appointment.
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