Born in Germany, William Will came to New York as a child with his father, John Will, and brothers, Henry and Philip Will, all of whom were pewterers. William established himself in Philadelphia and over the course of his thirty-year career he produced the widest variety of forms of any colonial American pewterer. His career also spanned a range of styles, from the late Baroque to the Neoclassical. His workshop made both common forms, such as spoons, plates, and mugs, and unusual forms, such as teapots and coffeepots, as well as ecclesiastical objects, including chalices and flagons. This flagon was made for the Zion Lutheran Church in Freeburg, Pennsylvania, which had a largely Germanic congregation. The convergence of English and Germanic cultures is particularly evident in this flagon, whose English form is ornamented with a dedicatory inscription in Germanic script.