Chalice #1
Two Chalices
Early 19th Century
Silver
a.) H:9 1/4” (23 cm)
Diameter: 5 1/4" (13 cm)
b.) H:9 1/4” (23 cm)
Diameter: 5 1/2" (14 cm)
Opening bid: P 180,000
Provenance:
Manila
Lot 53 of the Leon Gallery / Asian Cultural Council auction on 20 February 2016. For more details, please go to www.leon-gallery.com
The ancient Roman calix was a drinking vessel consisting of a bowl fixed atop a stand and was in common use at banquets.
A chalice (from the Latin calyx) is a standing cup used to hold sacramental wine during the Mass and was intended for drinking watered wine during the ceremony of the Eucharist (also called the Lord's Supper or Holy Communion).
Chalices have been used since the beginning of the Christian church. Because of Jesus' command to his disciples to "Do this in remembrance of me." the celebration of the Eucharist became central to Christian liturgy. Since the wine was supposed to be transformed into the blood of Christ, naturally, the vessels used in this important act of worship were treated with great respect. Until Vatican II, it was even considered sacrilegious for laymen to even touch a chalice, what more with his bare hands!
In Western Christianity, chalices often have a pommel or node where the stem meets the cup to make the elevation easier and to prevent the cup from slipping. In Roman Catholicism, chalices tend to be tulip-shaped, and the cups are quite narrow. Catholic priests will often receive chalices from their families upon their ordination into the priesthood.
Often highly decorated, chalices in the colonial period were often made of precious metal and even enameled and jeweled. If funds were short, religious tradition required that the inside of the cup at least be plated with gold.
These silver chalices, being almost identical in shape, must have been made by the same craftsman. Their circular bases, urn-shaped knopfs and gold-washed cups differ only in dimensions and decorative details. The surfaces of the chalices are delicately and finely engraved with swags of flowers and leaves tied together by ribbons, with a different design used in each. All their joints are bordered with a circlet of tiny beads, called rosario de perlas in contemporary inventories. This decorative detail is painstakingly laborious, as each bead is formed and filed individually from a square silver wire welded into a ring. The fact that the beads are uniform in shape shows the great skill of the silversmith who created the pieces.
-Martin I. Tinio, Jr
Chalice #1
Two Chalices
Early 19th Century
Silver
a.) H:9 1/4” (23 cm)
Diameter: 5 1/4" (13 cm)
b.) H:9 1/4” (23 cm)
Diameter: 5 1/2" (14 cm)
Opening bid: P 180,000
Provenance:
Manila
Lot 53 of the Leon Gallery / Asian Cultural Council auction on 20 February 2016. For more details, please go to www.leon-gallery.com
The ancient Roman calix was a drinking vessel consisting of a bowl fixed atop a stand and was in common use at banquets.
A chalice (from the Latin calyx) is a standing cup used to hold sacramental wine during the Mass and was intended for drinking watered wine during the ceremony of the Eucharist (also called the Lord's Supper or Holy Communion).
Chalices have been used since the beginning of the Christian church. Because of Jesus' command to his disciples to "Do this in remembrance of me." the celebration of the Eucharist became central to Christian liturgy. Since the wine was supposed to be transformed into the blood of Christ, naturally, the vessels used in this important act of worship were treated with great respect. Until Vatican II, it was even considered sacrilegious for laymen to even touch a chalice, what more with his bare hands!
In Western Christianity, chalices often have a pommel or node where the stem meets the cup to make the elevation easier and to prevent the cup from slipping. In Roman Catholicism, chalices tend to be tulip-shaped, and the cups are quite narrow. Catholic priests will often receive chalices from their families upon their ordination into the priesthood.
Often highly decorated, chalices in the colonial period were often made of precious metal and even enameled and jeweled. If funds were short, religious tradition required that the inside of the cup at least be plated with gold.
These silver chalices, being almost identical in shape, must have been made by the same craftsman. Their circular bases, urn-shaped knopfs and gold-washed cups differ only in dimensions and decorative details. The surfaces of the chalices are delicately and finely engraved with swags of flowers and leaves tied together by ribbons, with a different design used in each. All their joints are bordered with a circlet of tiny beads, called rosario de perlas in contemporary inventories. This decorative detail is painstakingly laborious, as each bead is formed and filed individually from a square silver wire welded into a ring. The fact that the beads are uniform in shape shows the great skill of the silversmith who created the pieces.
-Martin I. Tinio, Jr