Description
Because silver was associated with purity and durability, it was the most popular material used to fashion objects for administering the Sacrament. Matching sets were rare, and church silver was usually acquired piecemeal over a period of decades. By the end of the 18th century, the First Church of Medford, Massachusetts, had 20 pieces of communion silver, all given by different donors and fashioned by different makers.
Provenance
Commissioned by the First Church of Christ, Medford, MA from a cash bequest of Isaac Royall, Jr. (1719–1781), Medford, MA, 1781; consigned to Firestone and Parson, Inc., Boston, by 1987 [letter from David Firestone, Firestone and Parson, Nov. 25, 1987; copy in curatorial object file]; sold to Marshall Field V, Chicago, Mar. 11, 1988 [gallery invoice; copy in curatorial object file]; sold to the Art Institute of Chicago, 1989.
Accession Number
73707
Medium
Silver
Dimensions
3.2 × 32.4 × 32.4 cm (1 1/4 × 12 3/4 × 12 3/4 in.)
Classification
dish (vessel)
Credit Line
Purchased with funds provided by the Antiquarian Society
