This chalice was used in Protestant worship to serve the consecrated wine during Holy Communion. It was given to the united parishes of Sudborne and Orford, in Suffolk, by Lord Hertford, then Lord Chamberlain and the Member of Parliament for Orford. His gift was calculated to win political support, but to keep the cost down the order stipulated that the vessels should be ‘as light as the nature of the work would possibly admit’. There was a matching flagon and Matthew Boulton charged £35 4s for the two.
Physical description
silver, vase-shaped body on tall baluster stem with fluted base.
Place of Origin
Birmingham, England (made)
Date
1773-1774 (made)
Artist/maker
Matthew Boulton, born 1728 - died 1809 (maker)
Fothergill, John (maker)
Materials and Techniques
Silver, cast
Marks and inscriptions
Engraved under the foot 'Given by the Earl of Hertford to the United Parishes of Sudborne and Orford'.
Dimensions
Height: 24.1 cm, Diameter: 12.7 cm of the bowl, Diameter: 10.8 cm of the base
Object history note
The communion cup was commissioned by Francis, Earl of Hertford with a matching flagon from the Birmingham manufacturers Boulton and Fothergill and given to the united parishes of Sudborne and Orford in Suffolk. To keep the cost down the order stipulated that the vessels should be ' as light as the nature of the work would possibly admit'. Matthew Boulton charged £35 4s for the two pieces
Historical significance: The gift was calculated to win political support.
Historical context note
Gifts to the Church
Gifts were the most important source of English church plate in the 17th century. The donor was usually a prominent member of the community, which in country parishes often meant the local landowner. But gifts came from other sources too. Many were given by women, showing their active involvement with the church. Churchwardens also took pride in commissioning new silver and often contributed to the cost. Occasionally, gifts like Lord Hertford’s chalice and flagon were made to win support for a political cause.
Not all of these gifts were new. Old-fashioned domestic plate, often richly decorated with secular ornament, was welcomed and used for the service of communion or the collection of alms.
The donor, Lord Hertford, was Lord Chamberlain and represented Orford as a 'Rotten Borough' in Parliament.
Descriptive line
Silver, Birmingham hallmarks for 1773-4, mark of Boulton and Fothergill
Exhibition History
Gifts to the Church (Sacred Silver and Stained Glass Galleries, the Victoria and Albert Museum 22/11/2003-22/11/2003)
Labels and date
Chalice and Flagon
This chalice was used in Protestant worship to serve the consecrated wine during Holy Communion. It was given to the united parishes of Sudborne and Orford, in Suffolk, by Lord Hertford, then Lord Chamberlain and the Member of Parliament for Orford. His gift was calculated to win political support, but to keep the cost down the order stipulated that the vessels should be ‘as light as the nature of the work would possibly admit’. There was a matching flagon and Matthew Boulton charged £35 4s for the two.
This flagon was used in Protestant worship to hold the communion wine. It was given to the united parishes of Sudborne and Orford, in Suffolk, by Lord Hertford, then Lord Chamberlain and the Member of Parliament for Orford. His gift was calculated to win political support, but to keep the cost down the order stipulated that the vessels should be ‘as light as the nature of the work would possibly admit’. There was a matching chalice and Matthew Boulton charged £35 4s for the two.
Birmingham, England, 1773–4;
by Matthew Boulton (1728–1809) and
John Fothergill (died 1782)
Silver
Lent by the Vicar and Churchwardens
of St Bartholomew’s, Orford, Suffolk [22/11/2003]
Materials
Silver
Techniques
Engraving; Cast
Categories
Metalwork; Religion; Christianity
Production Type
Unique
Collection code
MET
