The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of June 3, 2023

Communion Cup

1671–72

England, London

Silver gilt

Overall: 25.3 x 12.9 cm (9 15/16 x 5 1/16 in.)

Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund 1980.79

Location

203A British Painting and Decorative Arts

Fun Fact

The words engraved along the exterior of this cup, "My Bloud is Drinke indeed,” refer to Christ’s instructions during the Last Supper, as described in the New Testament of the Christian Bible.

Description

This cup was produced shortly after the death of Oliver Cromwell (1599–1658), a leader of the English Civil War and Lord Protector of the British Isles from 1653 to 1658. An intensely religious man, Cromwell believed that the Reformation (1517–1648) failed to sufficiently eliminate Catholic beliefs and practices in Great Britain. The simplified shape and design of this vessel reflects his desire to visually differentiate Protestant communion cups from the chalices used by the Roman Catholic Church.

Inscriptions

Inscription

engraved on body of cup: "My Bloud is Drinke indeed."

Provenance
?-1980
(Brand Inglis, London, 1980, sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art)
1980-
The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
Citations
No existing citations
Exhibition history

No legacy exhibitions.

Year in Review: 1980. The Cleveland Museum of Art (organizer) (June 24-July 19, 1981).

Consuming Passions: The Art of Food and Drink. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (July 26-October 9, 1983).

Collecting Drawings in England. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (November 3, 1987-January 17, 1988).

British Gallery Reinstallation (June 2020). The Cleveland Museum of Art (organizer).

Source URL: https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1980.79