A Rare Early American Silver Tankard, John Hull And Robert Sanderson, Boston, circa 1665

tapered cylindrical with molded base band, later flat-domed cover with incised border and shaped peak, scroll thumbpiece, the hinge decorated with wrigglework and shaped mount, scroll handle engraved with early initials B*L, the front engraved with later inscription Hannah S Perkins to Elizabeth Child, restorations

Probably Simon Lynde (1624-1687), to his son
Benjamin Lynde Sr, (1666-1749), possibly to his younger son
William Lynde (d. 1752)
Collection of Cornelius Moore, sold
Sotheby's, New York, 31 January 1986, lot 71

Newton College of the Sacred Heart, Newton, Mass., 10 March 1963, no. 9
Salve Regina College, Newport, R.I., 17 May 1964, no. 9

American Silver 1670-1830, The Cornelius C. Moore Collection at Providence College,  item 89, p. 81-82, illus. p. 82
Clarke, Hermann Frederick, John Hull: A Builder of the Bay Colony, 1940, p. 214, no. 26
Kane, Patricia E., Colonial Massachusetts Silversmiths and Jewelers, 1998, p. 570

 

slight split at lower handle terminal; bright surface; as noted, replaced cover by Gebelein
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.

Patricia Kane states that the original owner may have been Simon Lynde.  He was born in London and baptised in June, 1624, the third son of Enoch Lynde.  Apprenticed to a Mr. Delany, merchant, he went to Holland before coming to New England in 1650.  In 1652 he married Hannah, daughter of Mr. John Newgate.

"During more than thirty years of his life in the colony, he was a person of prominence, and acquired large landed possessions in Massachusetts , Connecticut, and Rhode Island.  In 1686 he was appointed, under President Dudley, one of the Assistance Justices of the Court of Pleas and Sessions, and, in the following year, on of the Justices Assistant of the Superior Court... He died on the 22nd of November, 1687, possessed of a large estate and leaving many children to survive him.  Mr. Lynde's residence... was the old house built by his father-in-law, Mr. John Newgate, standing 'at the southeasterly of Tremont Hill' " (The Diaries of Benjamin Lynde and Benjamin Lynde, Jr., Fitch Edward Oliver, ed., Boston, privately printed, 1880, pp. vi-vii).  Samuel Sewall recorded the funeral.

His son Benjamin Lynde Sr. was born in Salem in 1666 and admitted to Harvard in 1682, then trained as a lawyer in London in the Middle Temple.  He was the first Chief Justice of Massachusetts to have formal legal training, being appointed associate Justice in 1712 and Chief Justice in 1729, after the resignation of Judge Samuel Sewall.

Benjamin Sr. married in 1699 Mary, daughter of the Hon. William Browne of Salem.  They had two children, Benjamin Lynde Jr., who served as Chief Justice during the Boston Massacre Trial, and William, who died unmarried in 1752.  In his will William leaves "to Lydia Lynde, the youngest daughter of my sl. brother, as a token of my love, my silver tankard and £450 O. tenor."