The Sydney Punchbowl at Hordern House

  • 01 Apr 2014
  • 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM
  • Hordern House, 77 Victoria Street, Potts Point NSW 2011
The Sydney Punchbowl at Hordern House (to be confirmed).

Please join us for a special evening at Hordern House for talks by Elizabeth Ellis on the Sydney Punchbowl and Anne McCormick, a principal of Hordern House, on a recent Hordern House acquisition.

Elizabeth Ellis OAM, Emeritus Librarian, Mitchell Library, was commissioned by Hordern House to write the definitive and scholarly book on the Sydney Punchbowl. This was part of a project in conjunction with the State Library of New South Wales to produce a limited edition of 25 faithful copies of the Punchbowl - one of the Library's fascinating treasures. One of the limited edition Hordern House Punchbowls, each handmade and painted, will be on view. Elizabeth's recently published book (see February 2014 issue of Australiana for the book review) is available for purchase from Hordern House. Elizabeth will be signing copies at this evening event.

The original Sydney Punchbowl was presented to the Mitchell Library in 1926. The Library describes the Punchbowl as "One of the greatest rarities in the Mitchell Library, this is one of only two extant examples depicting views of Sydney ...". The exterior of the Punchbowl is painted with a scene of Sydney Cove, estimated to be around 1814 while the centre of the interior has been painted with a group scene of Aboriginal figures. The punchbowl is of the Chia Ch'ing period (1796-1820) and of Cantonese origin.

 Light refreshments will be provided.
Limited on-street parking available.

 There is a small charge of $15 per person.

Please RSVP with payment by Tuesday, 25th March 2014 (by credit card or cheque) to:
Australiana Society
PO Box 2335
Bondi Junction NSW 1355

Enquiries: Michael Lech

email: secretary@australiana.org.au