Advent Calendar -2nd December - 'Smoking Bishop'
Nowadays we still celebrate Christmas with a glass or four of Mulled Wine. But our Victorian and Georgian forebears had a vast panoply of Punches, Cups, Caudles, Noyeaux, Neguses, Shrubs, Flips and Possets at their disposal to mark the Season.
This included a range of 'clerical' punches, spiced and served piping-hot with the addition of roasted (and clove-studded) lemons and/ or seville oranges. If the drink was Burgundy based it was termed a Pope, if Claret-based it was deamed an Archbishop and if Port was the main constituent the Punch was called a Bishop, and so on.
At the very end of Dicken's A Christmas Carol a reformed Ebenezer Scrooge tells Bob Cratchett that “… we will discuss your affairs this very afternoon over a bowl of Smoking Bishop, Bob!”. Now you know.
This particular Smoking Bishop is Monsignor Cathal Septimus O'Herlihy, Bishop of Ballygramore, enjoying a glass of this edifying brew after a hard day. Note his mitre, crozier, cincture and zucchetto!
5 comments:
Great stuff and informative too, love the religious purple. My Kinderton's Simpsons Calendar pales in comparison to this. Will you be doing this every year from now on?
Not sure about that Duncan. It's quite an undertaking. Which might end with me being undertaken!
Thanks for the kind words, you're a star!
hello paul,
i've just known your work when i was passing by the print club store at brick lane (i was travelling with my wife, we're both brazilians).
great work of yours. congrats.
one question though... you still have some print of the sold out "prince contantine of albania"?
thanks.
Hi there,
Thanks very much.
No sadly Prince Constantine has completely gone. HOWEVER, I do have an image entitled Mr Dark, the Illustrated Man, which is in a very similar vein and which I hope to print in the New Year.
I agree very informative. The picture is charming. I love it!
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