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.