Object Type
This chalice and paten, or plate, were made before the Reformation in England to hold the consecrated wine and bread used during Mass, the central service of Christian worship. After the Reformation, the authorities of the new Church of England renamed this service Holy Communion, and the vessels were called a communion cup and cover. This chalice and paten continued in use after the Reformation by generations of the Roman Catholic family who owned them. The paten was often placed on top of the chalice, acting as a cover.

Design & Use
In design this example follows the standard form that had developed throughout Europe by the late 15th century, and which was dictated by the liturgical practices. The relatively small bowl was appropriate because it was only the priest who drank the consecrated wine. The knop, or knot at mid-point of the stem, was where the priest grasped the chalice when he raised it high for the consecration. The spreading foot was necessary to stabilise the chalice. The lobed form was to prevent the chalice from rolling when laid sideways on the altar to drain.

History
Most church silver was melted down in the upheavals of the Reformation. Very few pre-Reformation examples survive. This elaborate example was probably ordered for, and subsequently survived in, a private chapel of the aristocracy.