Porringer 1735 - 1738

This silver porringer was crafted by John Brevoort in New York, sometime in the mid-18th century. A humble object for daily use, yet its form resonates with ancient archetypes. Consider the bowl itself, a vessel, a womb-like enclosure. Since antiquity, vessels have symbolized nourishment, sustenance, and the very act of containing life's essentials. In ancient Greece, libation bowls held offerings to the gods, while medieval chalices held the promise of salvation. Even in the modern age, the bowl persists as a powerful symbol of community and shared experience. And then there is the handle, not merely functional, but embellished with piercing. These piercings can be seen echoed in rosary beads, where we find a similar circular pattern indicating a spiritual quality. In the act of eating or drinking from such a vessel, we partake in a ritual as old as time, a cyclical return to the source, a reunion with the past that feeds our present.