Lot 254: THE TUFTS CUP. AN AMERICAN SILVER TWO-HANDLED CUP, JEREMIAH DUMMER, BOSTON,

THE TUFTS CUP. AN AMERICAN SILVER TWO-HANDLED CUP, JEREMIAH DUMMER, BOSTON,
CIRCA 1690
of plain gourd form with ridged scroll handles, engraved on one side with contemporary initals T above
P M punctuated by three trefoils, with 1872 presentation inscription below, the opposite side engraved C T to Q T, the original initials repeated on base, marked on base and center of one side below rim ID mullet below in heart
6oz. 10dwt. (202gr.)
height 3Âin. by length 6 3/8 in. (9.2 cm. by 16.2 cm.)
The later inscription reads: To the / First Unitarian Church of Quincy / from / Quincy Tufts/ Weymouth, July 4, 1872
The original initials are those of Captain Peter Tufts (II) of Medford and his second wife Mary, daughter of Reverend Seaborn Cotton, married in 1684. His father, Peter Tufts (I), was born in 1617 in Tibenham, Norfolk, emigrated to New England in 1654, and married Mary Pierce. Peter Tufts (I) was one of the largest landowners in the area; Tufts College (Medford, Mass.) stands on property purchased by him in 1690.
The cup passed to the grandson of Peter (II) and Mary Tufts, Dr. Cotton Tufts of Weymouth (1732-1815), thence to Dr. Tufts' grandson Quincy Tufts (1791-1872); see note to lot 257 for biographical information. This gift is commemorated by the initals engraved on one side. On Quincy Tufts' death in 1872, his will stated "I give & bequeath to the Rev. Mr. Well's Church, Quincy, one Silver Tankard [lot 257] and one Silver Cup given to me by my grandfather the late Dr. Cotton Tufts of Weymouth."
Provenance:
Peter (II) and Mary Tufts, circa 1690
By descent to their grandson, Dr. Cotton Tufts of Weymouth
By descent to his grandson, Quincy Tufts
Bequeathed by Quincy Tufts to the First Unitarian Church of Quincy (Braintree) in 1872
First Congregational Society Church, Quincy (formerly Braintree), Mass., 1872 to 2001
Literature:
Hermann F. Clarke and Henry Wilder Foote, Jeremiah Dummer, Colonial Craftsman and Merchant, Boston: Houghton-Mifflin, 1935, no. 29
E. Alfred Jones, The Old Silver of American Churches, Letchworth (England): Arden Press, 1913, pp. 393-94
Patricia E. Kane, Colonial Massachusetts Silversmiths and Jewelers, New Haven: Yale University Press, 1998, p. 391
Exhibitions:
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston: American Church Silver, 1911, no. 377
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, 1930
Jeremiah Dummer (1645-1718) was the first native-born New England goldsmith. He was born in Newbury, Mass., and was apprenticed to John Hull. Hull's diary entry for July 1, 1659, records "I received into my house Jeremie Dummer and Samuel Patty to serve me as apprentices eight years. The Lord make me faithful in discharge of this new trust committed to me, and let this blessing be to me and him" (quoted in Kane, p. 386). Once established, Dummer received John Coney as the first of his apprentices, circa 1670. Other apprentices are thought to include Samuel Phillips, Eleazer Russell, Kiliaen Van Rensselaer (briefy), Edward Winslow, Dummer's nephew John Allen, and Allen's future partner John Edwards (see lot 257).
Dummer's house and workshop were in High Street, near the Courthouse. Dummer may have been responsible for engraving the plates used in printing the Massachusetts paper currency in 1690; he was definitely responsible for engraving the sheets for the New Hampshire bills of credit in 1709. Dummer was a member of the honorable artillery company, Boston constable 1675-76, and became a freeman in 1680. He was Boston selectman 1690-92 and town auditor and treasurer of accounting in 1701. In 1708, John Coney noted that his Dummer's health had declined severely, and he lingered until May 25, 1718.