AN AMERICAN SILVER PUNCH BOWL, JOHN EWAN, RETAILED BY MATTHEW MILLER, CHARLESTON, S.C., DATED 1828

engraved on four sides: JM within wreath over 1828, a bouquet of rice, tobacco and cotton plants, male and female figures flanking a stack of cotton bags above "Perseverance", and a spread-wing eagle holding a banner reading "Nunc tempus est bibendum" (Now is the Time to Drink).

Mike Weller, Argentum Antiques, San Francisco, August 1987

SAM American Sampler, 2002-2005

old surface with scratches and dings, but good size and charming decoration
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

The celebration of Southern crops and production, the idea of perseverance, and the date 1828 strongly suggest that this bowl can be linked to the tariff of that year, called "The Tariff of Abominations" in the South.  Passed in May 1828 with the aim of protecting Northern businesses, it reduced the American market for British goods, and they in turn reduced their import of cotton from the United States.  The South also now had to acquire finished goods from the North at higher prices than they formerly imported them, and not in exchange for credit on their own products.

John C. Calhoun, after the election of 1828 vice-president to Andrew Jackson, fiercely opposed the tariff, and anonymously authored a pamphlet calling for nullification of the tariff within South Carolina.  When Jackson's Tariff of 1832 failed to address Southern concerns, the subsequent nullification crisis caused the British consul in Charleston (see preceding lot) to seriously worry for the future of the United States.