This pair of cruets is decorated in high relief with scrolling of overlapping vines and flowers. They are cast silver and mercury gilded, a type of gilding banned in Europe in the 18th century because of health dangers but continued in the Philippines until the early 20th century.They were commissioned by a wealthy church or monastery belonging to the Order of St. Francis. They bear the emblem of the Franciscan Order which consists of the crossed arms of Christ and St. Francis with the image of the cross behind it. The surmounting A and V stand for the Latin 'aqua' (water) and 'vinum' (wine) respectively and they were used in Catholic Holy Mass to hold water and wine. The mixing of water and wine were symbolic of the blood and sweat, that is the sufferings of Christ to save the world.
