Two communion jugs

The two silver-coloured jugs with a handle and lid are each around 37 cm high and feature a number of curves. Its pointed spout appears shaped like a heart when viewed from above. The lid opener is adorned in each case with a cone. In the Protestant liturgy, communion jugs are used to pour wine or juice into the vessels of participants during the celebration of communion. The inscription on these two jugs states that they were acquired by the ‘Evangelisch Lutherische Gemeinde’ – today the Lutheran congregation attached to St. Martin’s Church in Siegen – for the purposes of communion, i.e. for receiving the Lord’s Supper. The name of their maker and the date they were made, 1785, is engraved on both jugs. Johann Philipp Volckmar was one of the few pewterers in Siegen. Communion jugs were mostly made of pewter up until the 19th century. This material is well suited as tableware for eating or drinking, although there are also jugs made of silver.