Name/Title
Danbury Mint (retailer); Rosenthal Group (mfg.), plate, Germany, mid 20th centuryEntry/Object ID
2021.012.138Description
Plate, featuring the Bon Homme Richard, made in Germany for the Danbury Mint, twentieth century. With accompanying note card which reads as follows:
Under her fearless commander, John Paul Jones, the Bon Homme Richard garnered an / immortal place in the American naval hall of fame. Not only did she win a sea battle / against all odds, but she became a symbol of the boldness and daring that characterized / the American Revolution.
The Bon Homme Richard's career as a warship had far from promising beginnings. After / years of neglect, she was already weary and virtually unseaworthy in 1778, when Jones / acquired her from the French and converted her from merchantman to warship. In 1779 / the young commander left France aboard the Richard. Off the Yorkshire coast, Jones / sighted a convoy of British cargo ships and decided to attack their escort, the spanking- / new Serapis. The Bon Homme Richard was no match for the 50- gun Serapis. Within hours, / the Richard had been battered by the Serapis' guns and her bloodstained decks ripped open. / She was afire and on the verge of sinking. "'Why don't you haul down your pendant?' the / enemy asked. 'Ay, ay,' said Jones, 'We'll do that when we can fight no longer, but we shall / see yours come down the first; for you must know that Yankees do not haul down their / colours till they are fairly beaten.'" Lashing his ship to the Serapis, Jones sent men up the / rigging to throw grenades onto the decks of the enemy ship. One grenade hit loose powder. / The "dreadful explosion" killed twenty men. Soon afterward, the Serapis struck her colors / and the captain reluctantly surrendered to Jones.
Jones kept the Bon Homme Richard afloat just long enough to evacuate the many / wounded; "It was impossible to prevent the good old ship from sinking . . . a little after then / [a day later] I saw with inexpressible grief the last glimpse of the Bon Homme Richard."Collection
The James C. and Judith R. Bradford CollectionAcquisition
Accession
2021.012Source or Donor
Bradford, JamesAcquisition Method
DonationCredit Line
The James C. and Judith R. Bradford CollectionMade/Created
Manufacturer
Danbury MintTime Period
20th CenturyPlace
Country
GermanyRegion
Central EuropeContinent
EuropeInscription/Signature/Marks
Location
Bottom, inside footTranscription
A LIMITED EDITION MADE EXCLUSIVELY FOR / THE ROSENTHAL GROUP FOR THE DANBURY MINT
CLASSIC ROSE COLLECTION / GERMANY
GREAT AMERICAN SAILING SHIPS / THE BON HOMME RICHARDMaterial/Technique
Transfer-printed
