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."Acquisition
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
