Chalice
ca. 1851 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
Object Type
The chalice, designed by Francis A. Skidmore, was adapted from medieval models. The hexagonal base, decorated with six enamelled panels of angels bearing symbols of the Passion, resembles a 15th-century salt commissioned by Bishop Fox in the collection of Corpus Christi College. The stem and bowl are derived from a chalice at Trinity College, Oxford.
People
Francis A. Skidmore, the designer of the chalice, was the son of a Coventry watchmaker, jeweller and silversmith. He was apprenticed to his father and also studied historic metalwork. Together they founded the firm, Francis Skidmore & Son in 1845. He became a member of the Oxford Architectural Society and the Ecclesiological Society. By the early 1850s the firm was making silver and other metalwork for outside designers like Sir George Gilbert Scott. An important manufacturer in the Gothic revivalist style, Skidmore's were also responsible for restoration work on a number of cathedrals.
Materials & Making
The chalice was gilded using an electric current. This new technology of electrogilding, as well as that of electroplating and electrotyping, had been promoted by the Birmingham manufacturers Elkington & Co. By 1851 all these techniques were widely used in the trade. Electrogilding was an important advance in technology as the process was less harmful to health than the old gilding process using mercury.
The chalice, designed by Francis A. Skidmore, was adapted from medieval models. The hexagonal base, decorated with six enamelled panels of angels bearing symbols of the Passion, resembles a 15th-century salt commissioned by Bishop Fox in the collection of Corpus Christi College. The stem and bowl are derived from a chalice at Trinity College, Oxford.
People
Francis A. Skidmore, the designer of the chalice, was the son of a Coventry watchmaker, jeweller and silversmith. He was apprenticed to his father and also studied historic metalwork. Together they founded the firm, Francis Skidmore & Son in 1845. He became a member of the Oxford Architectural Society and the Ecclesiological Society. By the early 1850s the firm was making silver and other metalwork for outside designers like Sir George Gilbert Scott. An important manufacturer in the Gothic revivalist style, Skidmore's were also responsible for restoration work on a number of cathedrals.
Materials & Making
The chalice was gilded using an electric current. This new technology of electrogilding, as well as that of electroplating and electrotyping, had been promoted by the Birmingham manufacturers Elkington & Co. By 1851 all these techniques were widely used in the trade. Electrogilding was an important advance in technology as the process was less harmful to health than the old gilding process using mercury.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | Silver gilt and enamel |
| Brief description | Chalice, silver-gilt & enamel, by Skidmore & Sons for the 1851 Great Exhibition, Britain, ca.1851. |
| Physical description | Chalice. Gilt metal with hexagonal base decorated with enamel panels representing angels bearing the instruments of the passion. |
| Dimensions |
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| Marks and inscriptions | The Latin inscription translates: 'take all of you and drink' |
| Gallery label | British Galleries:
Skidmore & Son was a major manufacturer of objects in the Gothic Revival style. Owen Jones, an architect and designer involved in the interior decoration and arrangement of the displays of the Great Exhibition, thought this chalice 'remarkable for the beauty of forms and the delicacy of the ornamental portions'.(25/03/2003) |
| Object history | Designed by Francis A. Skidmore the younger (born about 1816, died in 1896), and made by Skidmore and Son, Coventry, West Midlands |
| Summary | Object Type The chalice, designed by Francis A. Skidmore, was adapted from medieval models. The hexagonal base, decorated with six enamelled panels of angels bearing symbols of the Passion, resembles a 15th-century salt commissioned by Bishop Fox in the collection of Corpus Christi College. The stem and bowl are derived from a chalice at Trinity College, Oxford. People Francis A. Skidmore, the designer of the chalice, was the son of a Coventry watchmaker, jeweller and silversmith. He was apprenticed to his father and also studied historic metalwork. Together they founded the firm, Francis Skidmore & Son in 1845. He became a member of the Oxford Architectural Society and the Ecclesiological Society. By the early 1850s the firm was making silver and other metalwork for outside designers like Sir George Gilbert Scott. An important manufacturer in the Gothic revivalist style, Skidmore's were also responsible for restoration work on a number of cathedrals. Materials & Making The chalice was gilded using an electric current. This new technology of electrogilding, as well as that of electroplating and electrotyping, had been promoted by the Birmingham manufacturers Elkington & Co. By 1851 all these techniques were widely used in the trade. Electrogilding was an important advance in technology as the process was less harmful to health than the old gilding process using mercury. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | 1329-1852 |
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| Record created | October 31, 2002 |
| Record URL |
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