Communion Cup and Cover
1683-1684 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
These small and easily portable cups were used for administering communion to the sick at home. They held the consecrated wine. Rare early survivals, the cups belonged to St Martin’s-in-the-Fields, one of London’s most celebrated churches. St James’s Piccadilly was the only other London parish recorded as owning a sick cup at this date.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Parts | This object consists of 2 parts.
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| Materials and techniques | Silver-gilt, raised and engraved |
| Brief description | A silver-gilt cup and cover, one of a pair, made for giving communion to the sick and infirm for use in the parish of St. Martin-in-the-Fields from 1683 |
| Physical description | A small silver-gilt cup on trumpet-shaped foot with moulded girdles, the deep cylindrical bowl with low domed paten covers with spool-form foot. |
| Dimensions |
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| Marks and inscriptions | maker's mark MK mullet above and below in lozenge-shaped shield. Numbered '28' and engraved 'St. Martins Par: for Priv.Com. April 10 1684' |
| Gallery label |
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| Object history | The churchwardens' accounts for St. Martin's document the purchase of all of the silver including three gilt cups which were acquired by Mr. John Smalbone, Churchwarden in April/May 1683 for £10 16 shillings Historical significance: Used for administering communion to the sick at home, these cups are small for convenience of carriage and because the capacity needed was limited. They are rare early survivals. St. James's Piccadilly was the only other church documented as owning a 'sick' cup at this date. |
| Historical context | St. Martin's in the Fields is one of London's most celebrated churches. By 1683 the old Tudor church housed an expanding congregation. |
| Summary | These small and easily portable cups were used for administering communion to the sick at home. They held the consecrated wine. Rare early survivals, the cups belonged to St Martin’s-in-the-Fields, one of London’s most celebrated churches. St James’s Piccadilly was the only other London parish recorded as owning a sick cup at this date. |
| Associated objects | |
| Bibliographic reference | Edwin Freshfield, The Communion Plate of the Parish Churches in the County of London, 1895, p.50 |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | M.4:2-2005 |
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| Record created | February 18, 2005 |
| Record URL |
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