Wine Cup 1797 - 1800

"Wine Cup" is a silver cup created by American silversmith Joseph Foster between 1797 and 1800. The cup, now in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, is a fine example of the Federal style, a period of American art and design influenced by neoclassical ideals. The cup's elegant form, with its bell-shaped body and domed lid, embodies the simplicity and refinement characteristic of the Federal period. The inscription on the cup, "Property of the Hanover Street Church, Boston", indicates its original purpose as a ceremonial object used by the church.