Cup

Discussion

FROM THE ART INSTITUTE OF CHICAGO’S CATALOG

Boston goldsmith and jeweler Benjamin Pierpont made this cup—part of a set of four identical vessels—that was given by Deacon Obadiah Dickinson (1704–1788) to the Church of Christ in Hatfield, Massachusetts. Dickinson was prominent in church and local affairs and also possessed extensive land holdings in the area. Puritan theology dominated the region, and the simple form of the cup along with the use of silver was symbolic of purity. The two handles on the vessel allowed the cup to be easily passed among the congregation’s communicants.

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