Tankard

This tankard probably was made at the time of the marriage of John Gardner and Elizabeth Weld, of Salem, Massachusetts. It descended in the family to the donor.

 John Noyes was the son of a minister and a member of the Third, or Old South, Church and later a founder of the Brattle Street Church. Less than thirty objects have survived bearing Noyes's mark. However, his level of accomplishment is clear from the variety of forms he fashioned, including candlesticks, forks, beakers, and salvers. All demonstrated a high degree of skill in casting, decorative details, and finishing. This tankard is one of nine known examples; in each, the artist varied small details, such as the terminal and thumbpiece.

The tankard formed part of a gift of family silver presented to the Museum, which included a fork by Samuel Gray (2004.71) and eighteenth-century spoons by John Nelson (2004.73) of Portsmouth, New Hampshire, and Jonathan Trott (2004.72) of Boston.

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.