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Communion cup
Marked by: Richard Blackwell I (active about 1605–1646)
English (London)
1625-30
Object Place: Europe, London, England
Medium/Technique
Silver
Dimensions
H. 21.3 cm (8 3/8 in.); Diameter (of rim) 10.8 cm (4 1/4 in.); Weight 713 gm (22 oz 18 dwt)
Credit Line
Theodora Wilbour Fund in memory of Charlotte Beebe Wilbour, Gift of Mrs. Robert Hamlin, by exchange, and Gift of Mrs. Stuart C. Welch
Accession Number1984.164
CollectionsEurope
ClassificationsSilver
DescriptionThe cup rests on a molded stepped base that rises to a spool-shaped stem with a flattened central knop. The body of the cup has a flat base and slightly flaring sides. The engraved coat of arms is enclosed within a wreath. On the opposite side the crest is engraved within a wreath. The cover is slightly domed with a broad flange and a spool-shaped finial with a circular flat top. The low round box has a flat base and a flat removable cover with a plain bezel that fits over the rim of the base. The arms on the cover are contained within an engraved circle and a cartouche. The dome of the foot is raised, with applied wire moldings. The stem is composed of two raised spool-shaped pieces, joined by the knop, which is fabricated. The body of the vessel is raised, as is the cover. The finial is constructed of two pieces. The top and bottom of the box arc formed of flat sheets; the sides are seamed.
Marks
On rim of cup, maker's mark RB a mullet below in a shaped shield (Jackson, 1921, p. 117, rev. ed. 1989, p. 111) (repeated on rim of paten and on interior base of wafer box)
InscriptionsArmorials: Engraved on the cup and the cover of the box, the arms of Stuart impaling Howard for Ludovic Stuart, second Duke of Lennox and first Duke of Richmond (1574–1624), and his wife Frances, daughter of Viscount Howard of Bindon; engraved on the paten and the cup, the crest of Stuart
Inscriptions: Pounced on the side of the cup; F and conjoined LR below a ducal coronet
Inscriptions: Pounced on the side of the cup; F and conjoined LR below a ducal coronet
ProvenanceBy 1924 the cup belonged to St. Mary's Convent, Wantage, Berkshire (ill. E. A. Jones, "The Old Plate at the Church Congress," Country Life 56 [1924], p. 779); it was sold by John Kennedy, Esq., at Sotheby & Co., London, May 9, 1957, lot 142, bought by H. R. Jessop, Ltd., London, sold to John Bell, Aberdeen, bought by H. R. Jessop, Ltd., London, 1982; the cup and wafer box were reunited by Mrs. G. E. P. How (How [of Edinburgh], London) and purchased by the Museum May 9, 1984, Theodora Wilbour Fund in memory of Charlotte Beebe Wilbour, Gift of Mrs. Robert Hamlin by exchange, and Gift of Mrs. Stuart C. Welch.