Baptismal Bowl
Bowl
circa 1800 (Date manufactured/created)
Pewter
2 in H
, 8 in Diameter
Measurement Notes: Bowl lip width: .25 in
This pewter baptismal bowl was used at Zion Episcopal Church in North Branford, Connecticut. Pewter is a metal alloy composed mainly of tin. Varying percentages of other metals like copper, antimony, bismuth, and lead can be added to give strength and durability to the tin. Sometimes, especially in American pewter, the lead content was fairly high, and people could get lead poisoning from ingesting food and drink that had absorbed lead from tableware. Pewter was a symbol of gentility in colonial homes because it showed that the owner could afford more than simple woodenware.
Received from Mary L. Hubbard of Guilford in 1902
HW1902.211