From Northern Europe to Aberdeenshire: Communion Beakers and Cultural exchange

In 1617, the Scottish parliament passed an act requiring all kirks to acquire new vessels for use in the Reformed practice of baptism and communion. Since no authorised shape was imposed for the communion cup, these took various forms across Scotland. In Aberdeenshire, a distinctive type of communion vessel emerged, that of a straight-sided beaker. This paper will reveal how the development of the beaker style was a direct result of cross-channel connections between Aberdeenshire and northern Europe.

Beaker style cups were common in the early 17th century throughout the Low Countries and some of the Baltic states, used both as secular drinking vessels and for the ministration of communion. Examples in the collection at National Museums Scotland illuminate how imported Continental beakers often served as ‘patterns’ for local Aberdeenshire goldsmiths. Taking these examples as its central case study, this paper demonstrates how a material culture approach can uncover the often intangible economic, cultural, and social ties between Scotland and northern Europe. Through a study of their making and design, it will reveal how these beakers functioned as vessels of cultural exchange and religious identity, embodying the transnational flow of ideas, styles, and practices.