Bowl, punch bowl

This punch bowl commemorates the imprisonment of the London Radical politician John Wilkes in 1768. In 1763 Wilkes used his satirical journal the North Briton to attack the British government which was negotiating a peace treaty with the French to end the Seven Years' War. Along with the City of London Radical William Beckford, Wilkes backed William Pitt and the 'Patriot' opposition. Wilkes was arrested for seditious libel, but as MP for Aylesbury was released on the grounds of parliamentary privilege. At Westminster Hall his supporters greeted the news of his release with shouts of 'Wilkes and Liberty' which became the slogan of militant Radicalism.

After his release Wilkes continued his campaigning and reprinted the controversial edition of the North Briton. When summoned to appear before Parliament he fled to France. Whilst in exile he was expelled from the House of Commons and was declared an outlaw by the Court of the King's Bench. Wilkes returned to London during the General Election of March 1768 and was elected MP for Middlesex. His victory resulted in popular celebrations in the Cities of London and Westminster and the windows of the wealthy, pro-government elite were smashed. Still an outlaw, Wilkes gave himself up to the Court and was incarcerated at the King's Bench Prison by Lord Mansfield, the Lord Chief Justice. Mansfield's actions made him a hate figure for Radical opinion.

When Wilkes' supporters rallied outside the prison they were fired upon by soldiers. Several of Wilkes supporters were killed in what became known as the 'Massacre of St George's Fields'. Wilkes continued to agitate and publish from his prison cell. He was also elected in absentia as Alderman of the Ward of Farringdon Without in the City of London. Expelled from Parliament once again Wilkes was re-elected unopposed as MP for Middlesex, but Parliament declared the election null and void. Parliament then refused to recognise a second election in which Wilkes was elected once more unopposed. In a third contest Parliament ignored Wilkes' victory over his pro-government opponent, the army colonel Henry Lawes Luttrell, and declared Luttrell the winner. The public outcry over the 'Wilkes-Luttrell' affair resulted in a petition calling for Wilkes' reinstatement which was signed by one in five of the electorate in England and Wales. Wilkes was released from prison in April 1770 and continued his political career in the City of London.

On the side of the punch bowl are portraits of Wilkes and Lord Mansfield as the hero and villain of the Radical cause. Mansfield's portrait has a snake and thistles above it; the shield is being held by George III and the Devil symbolising Radical hostility to Hanoverian rule. Beneath is a French motto 'JUSTICE SANS PITIE' ('justice without pity'). The shield containing the portrait of Wilkes has a lion on the crest and is being carried by figures representing true justice and the London citizenry. The motto beneath reads 'ALWAYS READY IN A GOOD CAUSE'. Bespoke porcelain products like this were made for English clients by Chinese manufacturers and shipped to London by the East India Company.