• Diameter:
  13 5/8 Inches
• Period:
  19th Century
• Origin:
  America

A legendary maker and elegant form distinguish this pair of sterling silver communion dishes crafted by American patriot Paul Revere. These plates were purchased directly from Revere by the First Church of Beverly, Massachusetts and were used in the practice of open communion. According to church minutes, dated July 6, 1800, the church members, led by Pastor Moses Dow, and Deacons Benjamin Cleaves and Robert Roundy, decided to purchase the plates for the communion table. Originally purchased as a set of four, two plates were later sold privately by the congregation. These exquisite dishes demonstrate the scope of Revere's talent as a master silversmith. Though seemingly simple in form, their classic design serves as a symbol of their "higher" purpose in religious worship. Revere was one of the few silversmiths that could complete a work from raw ingot to finished item, including the delicate engraving seen on both of the present examples. Each plate is inscribed The property of the first Church of Beverly / Purchased by the Pastor, Deac'n Benj'n Cleaves and / Deac'n Robert Roundy, 1801. Marked "REVERE", circa 1801 13 5/8" diameter These dishes were exhibited at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston in American Church Silver of the 17th and 18th Centuries, 1911, Catalog No. 892, 893. They are also featured in the E. Alfred Jones book entitled The Old Silver of American Churches, 1898, pages 17-18.