Description:
Silver communion cup with paten (HD 64.031.2) with an inverted trumpet-shaped body and raised foot, which is marked with a sun in spendor over "RS" in a shaped enclosure for Robert Sanderson (1608-1693) of London, and the London hallmarks of a leopard's head, lion passant, and date letter "J" for 1635-1636 once each on the side of the cup body and paten. One side of the cup and the center well of the paten are inscribed with the arms of Myddelton impaling Napier in a ribboned wreath; the other side of the cup has a cross over "IHS" (the sacred name for Jesus) in a sunburst over three nails of the crucifixion. Sir Thomas Myddelton (1586-1666) of Chirk Castle was a parliamentarian and commander in the Civil War (1642-1651). In 1613, Sir Thomas married his second wife, Mary Napier, daughter of Sir Robert Napier, baronet of Luton Hoo, Bedfordshire, and with whom he had 7 sons and 6 daughters. The standard design for communion vessels was established by the mid-17th century and persisted by force into the 19th century. The sacred monogram is a common feature on Anglican church plate and was usually engraved amid the rays of glory with a cross above and three nails below. This form of communion cup with its flared body and large trumpet foot follows the chalice-like form revived by William Laud, Archbishop of Canterbury during the 1630s. This form along with the use of the "IHS" on this cup was exactly the kind of vaguely Roman Catholic symbolism that infuriated the English Puritans and provoked a deep suspicion of the actual religious beliefs of King Charles I and Archbishop Laud. Born in Higham, England, Sanderson was indentured to William Rawlins, a London goldsmith, in 1623 for 9 years, which he completed in 1632. Sanderson worked in London between 1632 and 1638. Three pieces are known from that period - an unlocated salver and two communion cups and patens. Probably having converted to Puritanism at an early age, Sanderson's dissatisfaction with having to make such forms may explain his decision to leave for Puritan New England, settling briefly in Hampton, New Hampshire, in 1638, and them moving to Watertown, Massachusetts. In 1652, he entered into a partnership with silversmith John Hull (1624-1683) whose full training Sanderson probably completed. Sanderson and Hull went on to train a generation of Boston goldsmiths who included Jeremiah Dummer (1645-1718), John Coney (1655/56-1722), and Edward Winslow (1669-1753). A number of American silver authorities had questioned if the London and Boston John Sanderson were the same man; however, tests confirmed that the the marks on his London and Boston pieces were struck with the same die. The Flynts bought these pieces from the English silver dealer, Jane How, the wife of G. E. P. How who collected English and Scottish silver spoons.
Tags:
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