Tankard

Art Historical Context

This elegant silver tankard, crafted by New York silmith Gerrit Onckelbag between 1700 and 1710, exemplifies the refined craftsmanship of early colonial America. Standing 7½ inches tall and weighing nearly 39 ounces, the vessel was designed for both practical use and display, its generous proportions suited to communal toasts in prosperous households. Onckelbag, working in the Dutch-influenced tradition of New York silversmiths, employed skilled hammering, raising, and engraving techniques to create a sturdy yet graceful form. The tankard’s engraved decoration includes a prominent coat of arms flanked by ships, motifs that likely celebrated the owner’s family heritage and maritime connections. Such personalized silver objects served as important status symbols in the colonial era, blending European stylistic influences with distinctly American expressions of identity and trade. Now part of the Metropolitan Museum’s American Wing thanks to the 1933 bequest of Alphonse T. Clearwater, this piece offers visitors a tangible connection to the material culture of the early eighteenth century.