The Esther Flint Beaker: An American silver beaker, probably Boston, circa 1730

plain cylindrical with flared rim, inscribed The Gift of Esther Flint to the Church in Dorchester 1730 in semi-script

Gift of Esther Flint in 1730 to
The First Parish in Dorchester, Dorchester, MA

Boston: Museum of Fine Arts, loan, 1938-2011

 

William Blake Trask, Early Matters Relating to the Town and First Church of Dorchester, 1886, p. 10.
John Henry Buck, Old Plate, its Makers & Marks, 1903, p. 238.
E. Alfred Jones, The Old Silver of American Churches, 1913, p. 145.

good condition, excellent proportions and engraving
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

Esther Willet was born 10 July 1649 in Braintree, MA, the daughter of Captain Thomas Willett of Plymouth and his wife Mary Brown.  Captain Willett was the first mayor of New York, having been appointed by Governor Richard Nicolls on 12 June 1665.  On 24 January 1672 Esther Willett married Rev. Josiah Flint (1645-1680), son of Rev. Henry Flint and his wife Margery Hoar, in Braintree.  Rev. Flint graduated from Harvard in 1664 and spent several years preaching in Braintree before he was invited to join the First Church of Dorchester, as their minister Richard Mather had recently died.  Rev. Flint was submitted for community approval at a town meeting on 17 April 1671.  When asked "whether the inhabitants would have him preach the word to the whole Town, there was not a man against it."  He was ordained on 27 December 1671 with a starting salary of £90, one quarter in money.  Rev. Willett died at the age of thirty-five on 16 September 1680.  Esther never remarried and died in Braintree on 26 July 1737. Of the couple's four children, two survived into adulthood.  Henry Flint (b. 1675) graduated from Harvard in 1693 and then worked as a tutor there for many years.  His sister Dorothy (b. 1678) married Edmund Quincy III in 1701.

The donation of the present beaker to the First Church of Dorchester is in keeping with family tradition.  Esther's father, Captain Willett donated funds in 1764 to the Church of Rehoboth for their Hull and Sanderson standing cup (illus. Francis Hill Bigelow, Historic Silver of the Colonies, 1917 p. 43, and her sister Martha Saffin gave a Dutch beaker to the Old South Church at Boston (illus. E. Alfred Jones, The Old Silver of American Churches, 1913, p.51).  A Hurd beaker given to the First Congregational Society Church, Quincy in 1738, by Esther's son-in-law Edmund Quincy III was sold Sotheby's , New York, 17^th & 18^th Century American Silver from the Church of the Presidents, Quincy, Mass., 19 January 2001, lot 258.

Esther's son Henry Flint (often spelled Flynt) was a top patron and collector of Boston silver in the 18^th century.  As a keen admirer of fine silver, Flint was likely responsible for executing the commission for this beaker on his mother's behalf.  Flint received numerous silver gifts from his students including a pair of John Coney candlesticks in the collection of Historic Deefield, and the Coney Grace Cup, circa 1718 (both illustrated Patricia E. Kane, Colonial Massachusetts Silversmiths and Jewelers, 1998, pp. 73, 75).  Additionally he is known to have patronized silversmiths John Burt and Jacob Hurd, both of which are possible makers of this beaker—the fine engraving recalls that from Hurd's workshop.