During the Catholic Mass, the wine is held in a chalice and the bread is contained in a ciborium. This ciborium and cover were made for this purpose. The belief that bread and wine become the body and blood of Christ when consecrated during Mass was reaffirmed in the 16th century. It was a central decree issued by the Council of Trent which set out to confirm and strengthen the doctrines of the Catholic Church. This led to the increased production of exquisite vessels for Catholic worship.
The vine and wheat sheaf motifs on the ciborium refer to wine and bread: the blood and body of Christ in the Eucharist. The crown and orb are symbols universally associated with royalty and power. On this Christian ciborium they are brought together with the dove to represent the trinity of Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
Sir Arthur Gilbert and his wife Rosalinde formed one of the world's great decorative art collections, including silver, mosaics, enamelled portrait miniatures and gold boxes. Arthur Gilbert donated his extraordinary collection to Britain in 1996.
Physical description
Silver-gilt ciborium and cover, resting on a spreading foot embossed with cherubs, wheat sheaves and bunches of grapes on matted ground. The inverted baluster stem is matted and chased with fluting and leaves and has a beaded ring above and below. The bowl has a wide calyx decorated with wheat sheaves and vines. The cover is chased around the border with gadroons and the finial is in the form of an openwork crown surmounted by an orb and a dove within a sunburst surround.
Place of Origin
Antwerp, Belgium (made)
Date
1690-1691 (made)
Artist/maker
Filip Moermans, born 1636 - died 1702 (maker)
Materials and Techniques
Silver-gilt, raised, cast, chased, embossed, pierced, punched, matted
Marks and inscriptions
Mark 'PM' in monogram for Filip I Moermans
Antwerp town mark and crowned 'K' as date letter for 1690-1691
Dimensions
Height: 30.2 cm overall (ciborium and cover), Weight: 685 g, Diameter: 11.4 cm
[ciborium] Height: 16.8 cm
Object history note
Provenance: Purchased from S. J. Phillips Ltd., London, 1986.
The ciborium is marked for Filip Moermans the Elder who in 1668 opened a workshop together with his brother Joannes Moermans (1625-1703). Sacred silver appears to have been an important part of the output of this workshop if the surviving œuvre can be considered representative.
Descriptive line
Ciborium and cover, silver-gilt, marked Antwerp, Filip I Moermans, 1690-1691
Bibliographic References (Citation, Note/Abstract, NAL no)
Schroder, Timothy. The Gilbert collection of gold and silver. Los Angeles (Los Angeles County Museum of Art) 1988, cat. no. 145, pp. 538-9. ISBN.0875871445
Stuyck, R. Belgische Zilvermerken. Standard Uitgeverei: Antwerp/Edition Erasme: Bussels, 1984. Mark no. 179, pp. 20, 113.
Labels and date
Ciborium and Cover
The vine and wheat sheaf motifs on the ciborium refer to wine and bread: the blood and body of Christ in the Eucharist. The crown and orb are symbols universally associated with royalty and power. On this Christian ciborium they are brought together with the dove to represent the trinity of Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
Antwerp, Southern Netherlands (now Belgium), 1690–1; marked for Philipp I Moermans (1636–1702)
Gilded silver
Museum no. Loan:Gilbert.91:1, 2-2008
(Display Angels and Saints/Sacred Silver Galleries, 02 April 2012-30 May 2013) [02/04/2012-30/05/2013]
Materials
Silver-gilt
Techniques
Gilding; Casting; Piercing; Chasing; Embossing; Raising; Punching; Matting
Subjects depicted
Crown; Religion; Vine; Orb; Holy Spirit; Grain
Collection code
MET
