Communion Set (flagon, paten and asterisk, chalice, spoon), 1895 [Si162-Si165]
London, 1895; maker’s mark: F.C (Frederick Courthope)
Silver; the flagon: H. 23.5 cm, W. 8 cm, 499 g; the paten: H. 3 cm, D. 15.2 cm, 173 g; the asterisk: H. 8.4 cm, D. 10.8 cm, W. 11 cm, 56.6 g; the chalice: H. 20.5 cm, D. 7.8 cm, 269 g; the spoon: L. 17 cm, 45.6 g
The flagon, paten and chalice are each inscribed: For use in Fromond’s Chantry. / The Gilt of Confrére Edwin Freshfield of the Order of St. John of Jerusalem in England. The chalice and paten also with Greek inscriptions from the Orthodox liturgy.
This communion set was commissioned and presented by Edwin Freshfield (Fellow, 1888–95) for use in Fromond’s Chantry, which had been brought into use as a chapel for junior pupils in the 1870s and was renovated in the 1890s. The set is kept in a purpose-made oak box. The maker, Frederick Courthope, was a member of the Art Workers’ Guild, founded under the influence of William Morris in 1884.
An asterisk is a metal covering placed over the paten to support a veil. It symbolises the Star of Bethlehem and is used mostly in Eastern Orthodox and Eastern Catholic Churches. In some Eastern Christian rites, a spoon is used to distribute communion to the laity. In the Western churches, eucharistic spoons are occasionally used to give the consecrated host (sometimes dissolved in water) to the sick.
Literature: Philip Braithwaite, The Church Plate of Hampshire (London, 1909), p. 366 (illustrated); Shirley Bury, Copy or Creation: Victorian Treasures from English Churches (London, 1967), unpaginated (no. F2) – flagon only.
Exhibited: ‘Copy or Creation: Victorian Treasures from English Churches’, Goldsmith’s Hall, London, 17 May – 7 June 1967 & Birmingham City Museum and Art Gallery, 19 July – 16 August 1967 – flagon only.
Provenance: Given by Edwin Freshfield, 1895
Location: Treasury, Gallery 1