Communion flagon 1737 - 1738

This communion flagon was made of silver by John Webber sometime in the 1700s. Religious objects like this one were commissioned by individual churches, whose wealth would determine the preciousness of the materials, and the elaboration of the design. The restrained, classical style suggests that it was made in England or America. The style deliberately invokes earlier periods of religious stability. A flagon like this would have been made for a specific church, perhaps to replace an older vessel, and it would have immediately become a treasured possession of that congregation. To understand the values and aspirations of that community, we could consult church records and local histories, and compare this flagon to others made in the same region and period. We can study the changing relationships between religious institutions and their congregations through the objects that they valued.