The dining room at the Hammond-Harwood House is usually set for a fine meal, as if Matthias Hammond were entertaining guests. One of the things he might serve them is punch, out of this Chinese export porcelain bowl. This bowl has a storied past; it supposedly came to America on the ship Peggy Stewart, which the outraged citizens of Annapolis insist be burned because its owner imported tea during an embargo. The burning of the Peggy Stewart will receive its own blog post someday, when I’m better able to unravel Matthias Hammond’s involvement in the affair.
The story of the punch bowl is told in the 1887 book “The Ancient City: A History of Annapolis, in Maryland, 1649-1887” by Elihu S. Riley, on pages 309-310. It’s Riley who dubbed it “A Notable Bowl,” a fitting appellation. Click here to view the volume on Google Books.
