About this artwork
This bar pitcher exemplifies a uniquely American style of ceramics using imagery of contemporary literature, events, and daily life. The bear-shaped handle and long-tusked walrus spout evoke exploration of, and US expansion into, the Pacific Northwest. On one side of the pitcher, the legendary King Gambrinus, inventor of beer, presents a keg to Brother Jonathan, a fictional character symbolic of the United States. The vignette depicted on the other side can be seen as a racist response to Chinese immigration in the 19th century. In a scene drawn from a well-known contemporary poem, “Plain Language from Truthful James” by Bret Harte, an Irish miner draws his sword against a fellow Chinese worker over a game of cards; the poem, while intended by the author as a satire against the improper treatment of Chinese immigrants, reinforces negative stereotypes.
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Status
- Currently Off View
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Department
- Arts of the Americas
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Artist
- Karl L. H. Müller (Maker)
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Title
- Bar Pitcher
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Place
- Greenpoint (Object made in)
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Date
- c. 1880
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Medium
- Parian porcelain and glaze with gilding
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Dimensions
- 24.8 × 26.7 cm (9 3/4 × 10 1/2 in.)
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Credit Line
- Martha and William Steen and Mrs. Frank Sulzberger funds; Delphine G. Schoen Trust and Stone Foundation endowments
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Reference Number
- 1999.293
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IIIF Manifest
- https://api.artic.edu/api/v1/artworks/152748/manifest.json