Lot Essay
The insignia of the Cincinnati Society (founded in 1783 at the suggestion of Major General Henry Knox inspired by the Roman farmer-turned-patriot/soldier Cincinnatus) was a popular subject for the leaders of the new republic, the orders having been organized by Major Samuel Shaw, supercargo on the Empress of China and former aide-de-camp to General Knox. The famous set purchased for George Washington by Henry Lee in New York in 1786 is apparently the only one to incorporate a figure of Fame holding the insignia. However its tureen lids (now at Winterthur) show only the emblem within the laurel wreath, exactly as on this example. It is tempting to speculate that this bowl also belongs to the Washington set and similarly did not accomodate the full decoration. See D.S. Howard and J.S. Ayers, op. cit., pp. 489-91