Sons of Liberty Bowl

The Liberty Bowl honored ninety-two members of the Massachusetts House of Representatives who refused to rescind a letter sent throughout the colonies protesting the Townshend Acts (1767), which taxed tea, paper, glass, and other commodities imported from England. This act of civil disobedience by the "Glorious Ninety-Two" was a major step leading to the American Revolution. The bowl was commissioned by fifteen members of the Sons of Liberty, a secret, revolutionary organization to which Revere belonged; their names are engraved on the bowl as are references to Englishman John Wilkes, whose writing in defense of liberty inspired American patriots. The Liberty Bowl, the Declaration of Independence, and the Constitution have been called the nation's three most cherished historical treasures. The bowl was purchased by the Museum in 1949, with funds that included seven hundred donations by Boston schoolchildren and the public.Inscribed below the rim: "Caleb Hopkins, Nathl barber, John White, Willm Mackay, Danl Malcom, Benjn Goodwin, John Welsh, Fortescue Vernon, Danl Parker, John Marston, Ichbod Jones, John Homer, Willm Bowes, Peter Boyer, Benja Cobb."One side, in a circle with a scroll and foliated frame topped by a Liberty cap flanked by flags is engraved: "Magna/Charta" and "Bill of/Rights." Inside the circle is inscribed: "No45. /Wilkes & Liberty" over a torn page labeled "Generall/Warrants."Inscribed on the other side, a Liberty Cap in a wreath above leafy scrolls: "To the Memory of the glorious NINETY-TWO: Members/of the Honbl House of Representatives of the Massachusetts-Bay/who, undaunted by the insolent Menaces of Villains in Power/from a Strict Regard to Conscience, and the LIBERTIES/of their Constituents, on the 30th of June 1768 /Voted NOT TO RESCIND."

Inscription: "To the Memory of the glorious NINETY-TWO: Members / of the Honbl House of Representatives of the Massachusetts-Bay; / who, undaunted by the insolent Menaces of Villains in Power, / from a Strict Regard to Conscience, and the LIBERTIES / of their Constituents, on the 30th of June 1768, / Voted NOT TO RESCIND."This simple punch bowl is one of the most celebrated and imitated examples of colonial American silver. Its reputation is not based on any unique aspect of its style or form, which is derived from imported Chinese porcelain bowls, but on the cause it commemorates: the struggle for American independence.The "Liberty Bowl" honors ninety-two members of the Massachusetts House of Representatives who refused to rescind their letter sent throughout the colonies protesting the Townshend Acts of 1767, which taxed tea, paper, glass, and other commodities imported from England. This act of civil disobedience by the "Glorious Ninety-Two" was the first public act of rebellion against the British crown and a major step leading to the American Revolution.Patriot and silversmith Paul Revere was commissioned to make the bowl by fifteen members of the Sons of Liberty, a secret organization to which Revere belonged. The names of these fifteen men are boldly engraved on the bowl's rim. The defiant inscription uses incendiary language probably composed by fellow society member Dr. Joseph Warren.Other engraved symbols include references to Englishman John Wilkes, whose published writings in defense of liberty decried government violations of the Magna Carta and the Bill of Rights. Wilkes's words infuriated the Crown but became a rallying cry for American patriots, for whom "No. 45," the issue number of the North Briton in which Wilkes's most famous article appeared, and "Wilkes and Liberty" were potent symbols. The Sons of Liberty used the bowl to serve punch at their clandestine meetings; John Rowe's diary account on August 1, 1768, suggests that they may have called the bowl "No. 45": "Spent the evening at Mr. Barber's Insurance Office & the Silver Bowl was this evening for the first time introduced, No. 45. Weighs 45 ounces & holds 45 gills.…" Symbolic even in weight and size, the bowl held 45 gills of rum punch, the beverage preferred by colonists during the boycott of government-taxed tea.The Liberty Bowl, the Declaration of Independence, and the Constitution have been called the nation's most cherished historical treasures. The MFA purchased the bowl in 1949 with funds that included seven hundred donations by Boston schoolchildren and the general public.This text was adapted from Ward, et al., MFA Highlights: American Decorative Arts & Sculpture (Boston, 2006) available at www.mfashop.com/mfa-publications.html.