Cup from Elizabeth Winthrop Chanler's Christening Silver
ca. 1866
Medium
Decorative Arts
Classification
Decorative Arts
Department
Smithsonian Collection
Museum
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Credit
Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Charles J. Robertson III
Accession Number
2005.2.3
Rights
Public Domain
Art Historical Context
This delicate silver cup, crafted by American silversmith John R. Wendt around 1866, is a treasured piece from the christening silver set presented to Elizabeth Winthrop Chan. Christening silver—elegant cups, spoons, and rattles—was a cherished tradition among 19th-century American families of means, symbolizing purity, protection, and the promise of a prosperous life for newborns. These heirlooms often passed down through generations, functionality with ornate sentiment. Wendt's work exemplifies the refined craftsmanship of mid-19th-century decorative arts, where silversmiths drew on Europea...
About the Artist
John R. Wendt (American|American) · 1839 |1826 –2003 |1907
American, Philadelphia, Pennsylviania 1839–2003|1826–1907