The Bare Knuckle Fighters

CultureEnglish
Titles
  • The Bare Knuckle Fighters
Datec.1811–1815
Made inEngland
MediumLead-glazed earthenware with polychrome decoration
Dimensions.1: 8 3/8 x 3 3/4 x 4 5/8 in. (21.3 x 9.5 x 11.7 cm)
.2: 8 1/4 × 3 3/4 × 4 5/8 in. (21 × 9.5 × 11.7 cm)
Credit LineThe Bayou Bend Collection, museum purchase funded by Alan Blackburn, William R. Camp, Jr., Alfred Deaton, Frank J. Hevrdejs, Ralph Thomas and J. Virgil Waggoner in honor of William J. Hill at "One Great Night in November, 1995"
Object numberB.95.15.1,.2
Current Location
Bayou Bend Collection and Gardens
Ceramics Study Room
On view

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Department
Bayou Bend
Object Type
DescriptionTom Molineaux was born enslaved in Virginia. He became a skilled boxer, and after a particularly successful fight, he won a large sum for his enslaver and received his freedom. He travelled to England in 1809, hoping for winnings as a prizefighter. He is most remembered for his matches in 1810 and 1811 against English champion Tom Cribb, who was the English bare-knuckle boxing champion from 1809 to 1822.
Provenance[Phillip Suval, Inc., Fredericksburg, Virginia], a dealer exhibiting at The Theta Charity Antiques Show, Houston; purchased by MFAH, 1995.
Exhibition History"A Present from the Staffordshire Potteries," Theta Charity Antiques Show of Houston, George R. Brown Convention Center, September 23–26, 2004.

"Exhibited As We Are”: Fighting Racism with Art in the Age of Slavery,” The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, Bayou Bend, April 29–August 16, 2015.



Cataloguing data may change with further research.

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Pitcher
George Dummer & Co.
c. 1816–1823
Earthenware with polychrome decoration
B.84.13
Platter
c. 1820–1850
Lead-glazed earthenware with slip decoration
B.74.24
Jug or Tea Caddy
19th century
Lead-glazed earthenware with slip decoration
B.62.28
Dish
Josiah Wedgwood & Sons
c. 1775–1790
Lead-glazed earthenware (pearlware) with cobalt decoration
B.77.2.21
Basin and Ewer
Josiah Wedgwood & Sons
c. 1800–1810
Lead-glazed earthenware (pearlware) with cobalt decoration
B.84.3.1,.2
Jar
Samuel Bell & Son
c. 1882–1895
Lead-glazed earthenware with slip decoration
B.72.95
Jar
Samuel Bell & Son
c. 1882–1895
Lead-glazed earthenware with slip decoration
B.72.94
Beaker
John George Buehler
mid-19th century
Lead-glazed earthenware with slip decoration
B.64.34
Tea Set
Worcester Porcelain Manufactory
c. 1765
Soft paste porcelain with polychrome transfer decoration
93.143.1-.24
Three-Gallon Jug
c. 1870–1900
Salt-glazed stoneware with applied cobalt capacity numeral and decoration
B.2012.198
Eight-Gallon Jar
Roark Pottery Company
c. 1868–1884
Salt-glazed stoneware with applied cobalt slip decoration
B.2012.108
Temperance Jug
John Lewis Stone
c. 1870–1872
Salt-glazed stoneware with cobalt and slip decoration
B.2015.8