Chalice thumbnail 1
Chalice thumbnail 2
Image of Gallery in South Kensington
On display at V&A South Kensington
Sacred Silver & Stained Glass, Room 84, The Whiteley Galleries

Chalice

1520-1530 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

The chalice would have been used during the Mass to serve the consecrated wine. The matching paten, used to serve the consecrated bread, is missing.


Object details

Categories
Object type
Materials and techniques
Silver, gilded silver and enamel
Brief description
Silver and gilded silver, with applied enamelled plaques (the enamel mostly missing), France, Amiens, 1520-1530, maker's mark a crown above an illegible motif; town mark of Amiens, 'AM', for the years around 1520-1530; date-letter 'a' for the Amiens assay period 1520-1530.
Physical description
Chalice with bell- shaped bowl, gilt internally on small gilt calyx of 8 stylised petals, the knop of 8 lobes decorated with petals, set with 8 bosses, formerly enamelled, the octafoil foot engraved with ragged cross, pierced with 2 nails.
Dimensions
  • Base of foot to rim of chalice height: 18.4cm
  • Across maximum width of underside of foot diameter: 13.8cm
  • Across chalice bowl diameter: 9.4cm
  • Weight: 337.1g
Marks and inscriptions
Punched on the rim of the bowl and on the underside of the foot: The letters 'AM' in Gothic script, the town mark of Amiens for the period 1520-1530; the letter 'a' in Gothic script, the mark for the assay period 1520-1530; a crown surmounting an illegible motif, the maker's mark. [Lightbown (1978), cat. 16, identifies the warden's mark as a 'C', but the marks were examined on 05/01/2015 by Martine Plouvier, conservateur en chef aux Archives Nationales, who suggested the letter should be re-read as an 'A'.] There also appears to be an illegible French tax control mark punched on the rim of the chalice bowl.
Gallery label
Chalice The chalice would have been used during the Mass to serve the consecrated wine. The matching paten, used to serve the consecrated bread, is missing. Amiens, France, 1500-20; maker's mark a crown above an illegible motif, warden's mark 'C' Silver, partly gilded Given by Dr W.L. Hildburgh FSA Museum nos. M.9-1950(27/10/2005)
Credit line
Given by Dr W. L. Hildburgh
Object history
Gift from Dr Hildburgh.
Historical context
Medieval Worship

Until the 16th century Roman Catholicism was the universal faith of the Western world and Latin was its universal language. The needs of church ritual inspired the production of a range of richly decorated vessels and vestments, crosses and images in the form of altarpieces. Many were made of gold or silver, adorned with enamels or gems, precious materials seen as symbolic of the reverence due to the worship of God. Less wealthy churches used cheaper vessels in copper, brass or pewter.

The celebration of Mass was and remains the most important service of the Roman Catholic liturgy. For this the minimum requirements are an altar, a chalice and missal, the book of texts necessary for the Mass. Holy Communion or Eucharist is that part of the Mass in which the people participate in the sacrifice of Christ, by partaking of his body and blood in the consecrated bread and wine, held in the chalice and paten.
Summary
The chalice would have been used during the Mass to serve the consecrated wine. The matching paten, used to serve the consecrated bread, is missing.
Bibliographic references
  • Lightbown, Ronald. French Silver. London, Her Majesty's Stationery Office, 1978. ISBN 0112902502
  • Plouvier, Martine (with Arnaud de Chassey). Les orfèvres de Picardie. La Monnaie d'Amiens. Laon: Éditions AGIR-Pic, 2019. ISBN: 978-2-906340-74-9
Collection
Accession number
M.9-1950

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Record createdMarch 18, 2005
Record URL
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