874.1927: "The William Vassal Tankard"

Identification and Creation

Object Number

874.1927

People

Joseph Kneeland, American (Boston, MA 1700 - 1740 Boston, MA)

Title

"The William Vassal Tankard"

Classification

Vessels

Work Type

vessel

Date

c. 1729

Places

Creation Place: North America, United States, Massachusetts, Boston

Culture

American

Persistent Link

https://hvrd.art/o/232512

Physical Descriptions

Medium

Silver

Dimensions

17.2 x 12.2 cm (6 3/4 x 4 13/16 in.)

Inscriptions and Marks

• inscription: Mark, near lip at side: Kneeland
  Inscription, bottom: Donum Guilielmi Vassale/Commensalis/A.D. 1729
  Engraved, front, with Vassal arms which consits of a vase and a sun.
  

Acquisition and Rights

Credit Line

Harvard Art Museums/Fogg Museum, Loan from Harvard University; Gift to Harvard College from William Vassal, Class of 1733, 1729

Object Number

874.1927

Division

European and American Art

Contact

am_europeanamerican@harvard.edu

Permissions

The Harvard Art Museums encourage the use of images found on this website for personal, noncommercial use, including educational and scholarly purposes. To request a higher resolution file of this image, please submit an online request.

Descriptions

Commentary

The following eight vessels constitute Harvard's ceremonial silver. They are taken out of Harvard Art Museum storage and displayed only for the most important occasions, most notably for presidential inaugurations. Information about their history and display are in the files of the University Portrait Collection:

"The John Vassal Tankard", by Joseph Kneeland, American, 873.1927
"The William Vassal Tankard" by Joseph Kneeland, 874.1927
"The Dunster Tankard" by Ephraim Cobb, American, 876.1927
"The Stoughton Cup" by John Coney, American, 877.1927.A-B
"The Holyoke Caudle Cup" by John Coney, 878.1927
"The Hedge Tankard" by Edward Winslow, American, 879.1927
"The Great Salt", unidentified British maker, 881.1927
"The Browne Cup," by John Burt, American, 882.1927.A-B

This pair of tankards documents the designation of John Vassal (Class of 1732) and William Vassal (Class of 1733) as "Fellow Commoners." In return for a donation of silver and higher tuition, Fellow Commoners were listed at the head of their class, addressed as "Mister," and dined at the high table in the commons Hall.

Publication History

• Kenyon Castle Bolton, III, Peter G. Huenink, Earl A. Powell III, Harry Z. Rand, and Nanette C. Sexton, American Art at Harvard, exh. cat., Fogg Art Museum (Cambridge, MA, 1972), cat. 174, ill.
• Sandra Grindlay, "Harvard's Portraits: An American Treasure", Harvard University Art Museums Review (Fall 1992), vol. II, no. 1, pp. 6-7, p. 6
• Timothy Anglin Burgard, American Art at Harvard: Cultures and Contexts, brochure, Harvard University Art Museums (Cambridge, MA, 1994), p. 10, cat. 15
• Jeannine Skerry, "'Ancient and Valuable Gifts': Silver at Colonial Harvard", New England Silver and Silversmithing, 1620-1815, The Colonial Society of Massachusetts (Boston, MA, 2001), pp. 183-209, p. 190-191, fig. 5
• Jeannine Falino, ed., New England Silver & Silversmithing 1620-1815, The Colonial Society of Massachusetts (Boston, MA, 2001), Pp. 190-191, Fig. 5; Pp. 183-209
• Peter Benes and D. Brenton Simons, The Art of Family: Geneological Artifacts in New England, New England Historic Genealogical Society and Northeastern University Press (Boston, Mass., 2002), repr. as fig. 4 on p. 181 [with 873.1927]

Exhibition History

• American Art at Harvard, Fogg Art Museum, Cambridge, 04/19/1972 - 06/18/1972
• American Art at Harvard: Cultures and Contexts, Harvard University Art Museums, Cambridge, 10/01/1994 - 12/30/1994
• 32Q: 2340 Cabinet Gallery, Harvard Art Museums, Cambridge, 11/16/2014 - 09/24/2019

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