"[T]he bowl is the most celebrated example of American colonial silver . . . In 1768, even the production of the Liberty Bowl constituted a daring act of defiance." — The Colonial Society
"Often compared to the Declaration of Independence, the 'Liberty Bowl' has become an icon of American history." — The Museum of Fine Arts
Author J.L. Bell explains the historical context and political messages in Paul Revere's famous "Sons of Liberty Bowl" in this video filmed in the historic Wayside Inn:
The Colonial Society has an excellent article with additional historical background entitled, "Paul Revere and 1768: His Portrait and the Liberty Bowl," by Jonathan L. Fairbanks, from which these excerpts were taken:
"Revere made his silver Liberty Bowl, commissioned by some of the Sons of Liberty, kept at Nathaniel Barber’s insurance office in the North End, and used for their covert assemblages at the Bunch of Grapes Tavern and the Green Dragon Tavern, also in the North End. Engraved on the rim of the bowl were names of its joint owners, all radical Whigs. They were primarily merchants of the middling sort who felt their livelihoods threatened by the King’s policies. Most of these men later appeared in London’s list of enemies. The names that appear on the rim of the bowl suggest that the movement was pluralistic—a genuine people’s movement. There were modest property owners—small merchants, tradesmen, tavernkeepers, a mariner, a distiller, and a woodcarver—many of whom had their lives and work tied closely to wharves, docks, and the marketplace: Caleb Hopkins, Nathaniel Barber, John White, William Mackay, Daniel Malcolm, Benjamin Goodwin, John Welsh, Fortescue Vernon, Daniel Parker, John Marston, Ichabod Jones, John Homer, William Bowes, Peter Boyer, and Benjamin Cobb. Although influenced by more well-to-do Bostonians, the movement was not dominated by the few public figures, such as Sam Adams or Joseph Warren, who also belonged. Paul Revere himself was a small-time tradesman at the time. Only later did he become a major industrialist. . . .
"In 1768, even the production of the Liberty Bowl constituted a daring act of defiance. Revere finished it within five weeks of the House’s vote against rescinding the circular letter, which the governor considered an act of insubordination.Revere’s rapid production of the bowl was a remarkable feat, since it would have taken hundreds of hours of hammering on a polished anvil and stakes simply to form the bowl, let alone engrave it. Yet it does not appear in his daybooks or anywhere in the extensive Revere family papers. Because business records and papers could be seized, Revere may have needed to hide his association with the Sons of Liberty. His secrecy proves the extreme danger in which he knew himself to be living and his understanding that the Bowl itself, decorated with patriotic slogans, could be a 'treasonous' object.
"Revere’s Sons of Liberty Bowl is monumental in scale for American silver of its period. Its design was probably inspired by the shape of a Delft punch bowl familiar to most colonials. This shape was, in turn, inspired by far eastern ceramics imported to England and the continent. The subtle s-shaped profile of its sides rises to a slightly flared lip. The foot or base is splayed and shaped with convex and concave moldings. The whole bowl stands 5½ inches high with a base diameter of 5 13⁄16 inches. The diameter at the lip is 11 inches. It weighs 43 ounces, 16½ pennyweight.13 Years of polishing have exposed 'fire scale,' leaving a slightly cloudy coloration to the surface of the silver that makes the bowl look like it needs to be polished."
The reproduction shown is the same but slightly lighter, 39.87 Troy ouces. It was made by Shreve, Crump, & Low of Boston.
Additional information on the bowl from the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston where the original is located
The text of the exhibit label:
"Rebellion was in the air, as Paul Revere hammered and polished this unassuming bowl into shape. Britain had just levied new duties on imports, and Boston was the epicenter of colonial resistance. Picking up his graver, Revere inscribed his bowl to the "Glorious Ninety-Two"—honoring the Massachusetts Representatives who had called for protest against the taxes throughout the Colonies, paving the way for revolution. The Sons of Liberty, a rebel group, commissioned the bowl from Revere, one of their own; they used it to serve punch at their secret meetings. A gleaming emblem of civil disobedience, the bowl itself was an act of treason. Everyone who associated with it risked imprisonment under English law.
"Often compared to the Declaration of Independence, the 'Liberty Bowl' has become an icon of American history."
Additional background from The Museum of Fine Arts:
"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.'
INSCRIPTIONS
"Engraved in script below the rim 'Caleb Hopkins, Nathl Barber, John White, Willm Mackay, Danl Malcom, Benjm Goodwin, John Welsh, Fortescue Vernon, Danl Parker, John Marston, Ichabod Jones, John Homer, Wilm Bowes, Peter Boyer, Benja Cobb.' On one side in a bright-cut circle with a scroll and foliate frame topped by a Liberty Cap flanked by flags inscribed, respectively, 'Magna / Charta' and 'Bill of / Rights' is 'No 45. / Wilkes & Liberty/ over a torn page labeled 'Generall Warrants.'
"On the opposite side, a Liberty Cap in a wreath is centered above horizontal and longer vertical leafy scrolls partly enclosing the famous 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.'"
J.L. Bell is the proprietor of the Boston 1775 website, providing daily helpings of history, analysis, and unabashed gossip about Revolutionary New England. He is the author of The Road to Concord: How Four Stolen Cannon Ignited the Revolutionary War, a book-length study for the National Park Service about General George Washington in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and numerous articles and book chapters.