Beaker

This beaker (or tunn, as it was sometimes called) and wine cup (1999.91), each marked by the partners John Hull and Robert Sanderson, were two of the first silver objects acquired by the First Church of Boston (founded in 1630) and were owned continuously by the church until their acquisition by the MFA in 1999. Together, the vessels represent the beginnings of silversmithing in British North America.  The beaker and wine cup were the most common silver forms used by early New England churches in the sacrament of communion. Congregations generally acquired their silver through gifts or bequests. For example, John Winthrop, a founding member and prominent Puritan leader, presented to the First Church a large London-made cup of 1610/11 that he presumably brought with him from England. By the 1650s, however, parishioners could order silver made by Boston craftsmen. One of the church's first local acquisitions was a beaker made by John Hull before 1652 (when he formed his partnership with Sanderson). It is the only known object bearing Hull's mark alone and is similar in style to the Museum's example. By 1680 the church had acquired seven objects made by Hull and Sanderson jointly.The Museum's beaker is engraved simply "T / BC" for "The Boston Church" and "1659"; presumably it was acquired, either as a purchase or as a gift from an unknown donor, in that year. The wine cup, similarly engraved with the church's initials, in addition bears the inscription "The Gift of a Freinde T*C." It has been suggested that the initials are those of Thomas Clarke, a wealthy merchant and active member of the church. Clarke may have owned this cup originally, or it might have been purchased with funds generated by his bequest of £50 to the church.This text was adapted from Ward, et al., MFA Highlights: American Decorative Arts & Sculpture (Boston, 2006) available at www.mfashop.com/mfa-publications.html.

In the seventeenth century, beakers of this type were occasionally referred to as “tunns,” a term possibly of Celtic origin. Defined as a large cask for holding wine or beer, the word also described a large barrel or unit of liquid capacity. It was used as early as 1555 to refer to a vessel that was no doubt derived from such utilitarian objects. The tunn was an appropriately humble and secular choice for the Congregational communion table, far removed from the rich trappings of the Church of Rome.

As with the taller Dutch-style beakers made by Hull and Sanderson that Albert Roe termed “curious hybrids” inspired by Sanderson’s native Norwich, so, too, these small beakers (or tunns) have a distinctive appearance that sets them apart from their English counterparts. In its short and stocky appearance, the tunn is similar to, but slightly larger than, most related English beakers. Relatively straight sides and the lack of a foot also set this example apart from contemporaneous English examples, as does its chaste, finely punched surface, which serves as primary decoration while providing a secure grip. The source for the matte decoration may be the English wine cup among the First Church plate given by Jeremy Houchin, who arrived in the colony in 1635 and died in 1670.

The tunn most closely related to the Museum’s example in both date and form is also the earliest piece of colonial silver made for the church; it bears the single touchmark of John Hull. Hull and Sanderson also made two cups for the First Church of Dorchester and a fifth for Old South Church. These bear punched pattern in a broad field but lack the scored lines that mark the upper and lower border and the shield reserve, as seen on those of the First Church. Another beaker, now unlocated and known only through a period photograph, appears to be closely related to the First Church examples.

This text has been adapted from "Silver of the Americas, 1600-2000," edited by Jeannine Falino and Gerald W.R. Ward, published in 2008 by the MFA. Complete references can be found in that publication.