Baptismal Basin
Samuel Edwards
c. 1756
Medium
Silver
Dimensions
7.5 × 30.1 cm (2 15/16 × 12 1/16 in.)
Classification
liturgical
Department
Arts of the Americas
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
72803
Rights
Public Domain
About this artwork
Baptismal basins, which were traditional European forms, were introduced into America in the early 18th century. The form was impervious to the stylistic changes of the century. Although this basin was crafted in 1755, the plain style, with its broad rim and thin banding around the edge, evokes designs of the earlier part of the century.