Edward Winslow's tankard, while similar in appearance to the previous example (B.69.115), demonstrates the form's evolution. The body has tapered somewhat; the cusped thumbpiece has been replaced by one composed of conjoined dolphins supporting a grotesque mask; and a cut-card ornament was introduced at the base of the handle, which terminates in a cherub’s head. Most of these elements were derived from English silver, but some, such as the cast thumbpiece, are uniquely American. The addition of a finial is unusual at this early date.

Technical notes: No center point is in evidence. A rat-tail body drop extends to the cut-card ornament at the handle's juncture with the base. A five-part hinge is attached to the molded handle, which has a loop return mid-way down. The finial is soldered on the lid. 

Related examples: Fales 1983, pp. 10–11, no. 3; Johnston 1994, p. 174; Quimby 1995, pp. 177–80, nos. 136, 137. Unpublished tankards belong to the Currier Gallery of Art, Manchester, New Hampshire; and the Detroit Institute of Arts.

Book excerpt: David B. Warren, Michael K. Brown, Elizabeth Ann Coleman, and Emily Ballew Neff.  American Decorative Arts and Paintings in the Bayou Bend Collection. Houston: Princeton Univ. Press, 1998.