Communion Cup, silver, Birmingham, made by Elkington and Co, 1853-4

Silver, gilt within bowl. The bell shaped bowl with applied straight rays, the stem with three sexfoil knots leading to a sexfoil base. There are engraved hebrew inscriptions on the bowl on each side of a floral wreath within which is enclosed a shield with two hands below a crown and the initials DCC (?).

St. Peter's Church, Petersham

Lent by the Vicar and Churchwardens of St. Peter’s, Petersham
Elkington's, a large silversmithing business, provided standardised designs for church furnishings, which could be cheaply and mechanically made. They included items of church plate in their exhibitions and catalogues throughout the mid-19th century. The Hebrew inscription, and design of two hands in rabbinical blessing suggest that this cup was adapted from one of Elkington's standard Christian chalice designs for use in a synagogue. It is not known at what point it passed to Christian use.

Furnishing the Church
A new business of church furnishing arose from the great surge in church building and restoration. Between 1840 and 1900, over 100 churches were built each year. Older buildings were restored or expanded. Every denomination from Anglican and Roman Catholic to Nonconformist was reacting to the widespread religious revival and the needs of an expanding population. Fitting out such large numbers of churches required specialist firms who could supply the complete range of furnishings. Clergy no longer commissioned individual tailors, furniture makers and silversmiths. Instead, stained glass windows, cl[Erical vestments and silver altar plate could all be ordered from church furnishers like Jones & Willis, Cox & Sons and John Hardman. These specialists would supply the correct equipment, as prescribed by the church reformers. They offered a choice of material, quality and prices to suit the resources of wealthy and poorer parishes. J. Whippell & Co. About 1902 Kind permission of J. Whippell & Co., Exeter

Leading Taste
The building, restoration and furnishing of churches were important outlets for Victorian creative talent. For some architects it was the mainstay of their business. The taste for the Gothic style, which became dominant though not universal,was led by architects like A.W.N. Pugin. Many Anglican architects were affiliated to reforming societies and closely concerned with design policy. Some were employed by commercial firms such as Cox & Sons to give their products a veneer of authenticity. In England so many medieval church fittings had been destroyed in the Reformation that architects were obliged to invent new forms. William Butterfield, the first official designer of the Cambridge Camden Society, modelled flagons on smaller medieval cruet shapes.

This cup was intended for use in church, to serve the consecrated wine during the service of Holy Communion. However, the Hebrew inscriptions show that at some stage it was used in Jewish worship.

The manufacturer, Elkington & Co., sold standardised designs for church plate that could be cheaply and mechanically made. They showed a prototype for this chalice at the Great Exhibition, held in London in 1851.

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