A 19th Century Old Rivet Repaired Chinese Export Porcelain Punch Bowl

A Very Characterful 19th Century Qing Dinasty Chinese Export Porcelain Bowl With Old Riveted Repairs
Famille Rose Decoration in 'Rose Medallion' Pattern
Canton, China
Circa 1870

Measures:-
34 cm diameter x 14 cm high

An interesting export porcelain punch bowl in a good size, profusely decorated in typical 'Rose Medallion' Pattern. What sets this particular bowl apart, though, is the extraordinarily diligent repair which it has undergone in antiquity.

The bowl would have been a very expensive and luxurious piece to have bought when it was new in the last third the 19th Century. It was clearly broken into numerous pieces but, due to its value, received extensive treatment from a knowledgable repairer, in the days before specialist adhesives. Riveting damaged ceramics was a well developed method of repair by the 18th Century, though it had largely disappeared by the mid-20th Century. Similar to knife sharpening, "rivet repairs" were often undertaken by itinerant workers, who charged an amount per rivet. It can be seen, therefore, that it would have been relatively costly to mend this bowl.