Monstrance
ca. 1625-1650 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
This object would have been used in Roman Catholic worship. The function of a monstrance is to display the Sacred Host, the bread that is miraculously transformed into the body of Christ during the service of Mass. The Host would have been placed inside the window in a crescent-shaped holder called a 'lunula' (now missing from this example).
Monstrances were placed on the altar as a focus for worship during the service of Benediction, or held up during church processions for all the congregation to see. In Spain, during the annual feast of Corpus Christi (meaning 'body of Christ'), a monstrance was often placed inside a huge architectural canopy called a custodia and paraded around the parish.
This monstrance is in the shape of a sun, symbolising Christ’s regeneration and radiance. Its design is a late example of a style of Spanish goldsmiths' work inspired by the restrained architecture of Juan Herrera, who worked on the Escorial Palace near Madrid for Philip II of Spain from the 1570s. Metalwork of the period echoed his clean, architectural lines. On earlier Herreran pieces goldsmiths would have applied enamel bosses and gems, but here the goldsmith has used rectangular faceted bosses and cherub heads. The surfaces are elaborately pounced (pricked) with scrolling ornament.
Monstrances were placed on the altar as a focus for worship during the service of Benediction, or held up during church processions for all the congregation to see. In Spain, during the annual feast of Corpus Christi (meaning 'body of Christ'), a monstrance was often placed inside a huge architectural canopy called a custodia and paraded around the parish.
This monstrance is in the shape of a sun, symbolising Christ’s regeneration and radiance. Its design is a late example of a style of Spanish goldsmiths' work inspired by the restrained architecture of Juan Herrera, who worked on the Escorial Palace near Madrid for Philip II of Spain from the 1570s. Metalwork of the period echoed his clean, architectural lines. On earlier Herreran pieces goldsmiths would have applied enamel bosses and gems, but here the goldsmith has used rectangular faceted bosses and cherub heads. The surfaces are elaborately pounced (pricked) with scrolling ornament.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | Silver-gilt with glass window, raised, cast, chased and pounced |
| Brief description | Silver-gilt, Spain, unmarked, 1625-50. |
| Physical description | Silver-gilt monstrance, consisting of a circular frame resembling a stylised sun with a cast scrollwork border, within which is a glass window. The stem, pounced with vine-sprays, ears of corn and other ornament, and decorated with applied cast cherubs, consists of three parts: an upper urn-shaped section, a central hexagonal knop with faceted bosses, and a lower cylindrical section. The foot has been raised and then decorated with pricked designs of fruit; additionally, sections of metal have been cut away from the foot so that elements of cast decoration can be set into it. |
| Dimensions |
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| Marks and inscriptions | Mark of a dolphin facing left, in a shaped punch, stamped on the outer rim of the foot and on the outer rim of the monstrance window frame. This is a Dutch duty stamp for the period August 1859 - November 1863. |
| Gallery label |
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| Credit line | Dr W.L. Hildburgh Bequest |
| Object history | The American collector Walter Leo Hildburgh purchased the monstrance from the collection of the former German ambassador to Madrid (1888-1893), Freiherr F. von Stumm in 1932 (see Oman: 1968, p. xi). Hildburgh bequeathed the piece to the Museum after his death in 1955. |
| Historical context | The Spanish Church The Catholic church dominated public and private life in Spain. Money and labour were lavished on religious art and images played a central role in daily worship. To ensure that goldsmiths focused on work for the crown and the church, the authorities brought in a series of sumptuary laws that limited the secular display of gems and precious metals. By 1550 the silver mines in Peru and Mexico were generating enormous wealth for Spain and feeding the traditional taste for massive silver forms. They included the custodia, a towering architectural canopy that was unique to Spain. It was paraded through parishes during the Corpus Christi festival to display the Sacred Host (consecrated bread). The custodia embodied many characteristics of Spanish church plate. It was sculptural, highly visible and richly imaginative in design. With the Counter Reformation, Spain became a triumphant defender of a revitalised Catholic faith. Silver altar vessels and entire altars, processional crosses, custodias and sanctuary lamps frequently appeared in goldsmiths' contracts. |
| Summary | This object would have been used in Roman Catholic worship. The function of a monstrance is to display the Sacred Host, the bread that is miraculously transformed into the body of Christ during the service of Mass. The Host would have been placed inside the window in a crescent-shaped holder called a 'lunula' (now missing from this example). Monstrances were placed on the altar as a focus for worship during the service of Benediction, or held up during church processions for all the congregation to see. In Spain, during the annual feast of Corpus Christi (meaning 'body of Christ'), a monstrance was often placed inside a huge architectural canopy called a custodia and paraded around the parish. This monstrance is in the shape of a sun, symbolising Christ’s regeneration and radiance. Its design is a late example of a style of Spanish goldsmiths' work inspired by the restrained architecture of Juan Herrera, who worked on the Escorial Palace near Madrid for Philip II of Spain from the 1570s. Metalwork of the period echoed his clean, architectural lines. On earlier Herreran pieces goldsmiths would have applied enamel bosses and gems, but here the goldsmith has used rectangular faceted bosses and cherub heads. The surfaces are elaborately pounced (pricked) with scrolling ornament. |
| Bibliographic references |
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| Collection | |
| Accession number | M.385-1956 |
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| Record created | February 7, 2005 |
| Record URL |
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