Communion Cup

1671–72

Communion Cup, 1671–72. England, London. Silver gilt; overall: 25.3 x 12.9 cm (9 15/16 x 5 1/16 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund 1980.79 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. 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.