Tankard 1720 - 1740

This silver tankard was crafted by Simeon Soumaine. Notice the handle—an adaptation of organic forms into metalwork. The motif echoes the ancient acanthus leaf, a symbol of regeneration and artistic inspiration since antiquity. One can trace its presence from the capitals of Corinthian columns in ancient Greece to Romanesque sculptures and even the delicate flourishes in Renaissance paintings. Its presence here, on a commonplace object, speaks to a deep-seated human desire to imbue even the mundane with echoes of the past, of enduring beauty. Consider the vessel itself: a container, a chalice. It evokes, perhaps unconsciously, the sacred vessels used in religious ceremonies, a shared human experience of ritual and communion. Just as the acanthus leaf transcends time, so too does the vessel’s function, reminding us that every object holds a history of human expression and symbolism.