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Cup

A work made of silver.
CC0 Public Domain Designation

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  • A work made of silver.

Date:

1788

Artist:

Benjamin Pierpont
American, 1730–1797
Boston

About this artwork

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.

Status

On View, Gallery 166

Department

Arts of the Americas

Artist

Benjamin Pierpont

Title

Cup

Place

Boston (Object made in)

Date  Dates are not always precisely known, but the Art Institute strives to present this information as consistently and legibly as possible. Dates may be represented as a range that spans decades, centuries, dynasties, or periods and may include qualifiers such as c. (circa) or BCE.

1788

Medium

Silver

Inscriptions

Engraved script inscription on side of cup: "The Gift of / Deacon Obadiah Dickinson / to / the Church of Christ in Hatfield / 1788" Marked on bottom in shaped cartouche: "B*PIERPON"

Dimensions

14.6 × 7 × 9.5 cm (5 3/4 × 7 × 3 3/4 in.)

Credit Line

Gift of the Antiquarian Society through the Mrs. Edwin A. Seipp Fund

Reference Number

1948.105

IIIF Manifest  The International Image Interoperability Framework (IIIF) represents a set of open standards that enables rich access to digital media from libraries, archives, museums, and other cultural institutions around the world.

Learn more.

https://api.artic.edu/api/v1/artworks/62542/manifest.json

Extended information about this artwork

Object information is a work in progress and may be updated as new research findings emerge. To help improve this record, please email . Information about image downloads and licensing is available here.

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