Avondmaalsschotel voor The English Reformed Church 1771

This is a communion plate made by Johannes Schiotling, likely in Amsterdam, using the technique of silversmithing. Silver, with its lustrous sheen, was the perfect material to signify the sacred. Crafted for The English Reformed Church, this plate would have been central to communion rituals. Schiotling likely started with a flat disc of silver, using hammers and specialized tools to raise the metal into this gently curving form. Notice the undulating rim; it’s a detail that adds visual interest, and a clear sign of hand work. The silversmith’s touch is also evident in the engraved monogram at the center, a subtle assertion of identity. Consider the amount of labor involved: the mining of the silver, its refining, and then the skilled work of the smith. This plate speaks to the nexus of craft, commerce, and religious practice in 18th-century Amsterdam, where objects like these blurred the lines between the functional and the symbolic.