Collections: Decorative Arts: Beaker, One of a Pair

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Beaker, One of a Pair

Although well-to-do Dutch colonials occasionally drank from beakers at home, more often such vessels were liturgical. This beaker was used in the Dutch Reformed Church of the Flatlands, in what is now Brooklyn. Dutch-American beakers are often decorated with fine engraving and ornamental bands at the foot. The three engraved medallions around this beaker contain figures of the three of the Virtues: Faith, Hope, and Charity.

• Maker: Gerrit Onckelbag, American, 1670-1732
• Medium: Silver
• Place Made: New York, New York, USA
• Dates: ca. 1700
• Dimensions: 6 7/8 x 3 3/8 x 3 3/8 in. (17.5 x 8.6 x 8.6 cm)
• Collections: Decorative Arts
• Museum Location: This item is not on view
• Accession Number: L54.1b
• Credit Line: Lent by Reformed Dutch Protestant Church
• Image: Component, L54.1b_view1_PS2.jpg. Brooklyn Museum photograph, 2009
Gerrit Onckelbag (American, 1670-1732). Beaker, One of a Pair, ca. 1700. Silver, 6 7/8 x 3 3/8 x 3 3/8 in. (17.5 x 8.6 x 8.6 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Lent by Reformed Dutch Protestant Church, L54.1b (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, L54.1b_view1_PS2.jpg)
• Catalogue Description: Silver beaker, one of a pair. Cylindrical form with molded bands around foot, widens toward top and flares out at lip. Sides decorated with engraved decorations: around top, wide band containing flowers and leaves, and signed "Dayakeny van Woud"; around sides, three oval medallions containing an allegorical figure of Faith (female figure with cross), Hope (with anchor), and Charity (with children), medallions framed by flanking grotesque dragons and scrolls.