Title
Chalice
original work author
León, Domingo (16th century)
Generic classification
SilversmithingObject
ChaliceDate
c. 1560Century
Third quarter of the 16th c.Cultural context / style
RenaissanceDimensions
Height: 9,25 inMaterial
SilverProvenance
Possible origin in the province of Valladolid (Valladolid, Spain)Current location
Victoria & Albert Museum (London, United Kingdom)Inventory Number in Current Collection
M.44-1954Inscriptions / Marks
Author's mark of Domingo León (DO/MIN/GO)
Hallmark from Medina del Campo (trece roeles)
Inscription on the foot: ES DE LA CAPª DE ¿YILNETº?
Object history
At present, the exact location for which this chalice was destined has not been identified, despite the fact that the inside of the foot bears an inscription that reads: ES DE LA CAPª DE YILNETº (It belongs to the chapel of Yilneto?). However, we know that the piece was made in the workshop of Domingo León, a silversmith from Medina del Campo (Valladolid). His author's mark (DO/MIN/GO) appears alongside the Medina hallmark, which confirms the place of origin (coat of arms with thirteen roeles).
According to the information provided by Charles Oman in the catalogue of Spanish silverware at the Victoria & Albert Museum (1968, p. 24), the chalice was donated to the institution by Henry Whittaker in memory of his brother, the Reverend George Whittaker (1889-1936), natives of Mellor, Lancashire (United Kingdom). At this time, no further information can be provided about the journey of this chalice from Castile and León.
Description
The work displays characteristics typical of the Castilian Renaissance. The base is circular, divided into several overlapped sections that give it considerable vertical height. Above the flange is a first section in the form of a small plinth, with a pattern of circles and vertical bands, which is repeated on the shaft and the knob. The decoration of the upper mouldings is formed from festoons of lilies and plant motifs in a border.
The shaft rises above a base-like structure and is made up of two smooth concave pieces, with a spherical knob in the centre. The upper and lower areas are decorated with braids, while the central section has the same ornamentation of circles and bands as the base. The cup is plain, with acanthus leaves in the lower section and above them a frieze with winged heads alternating with small putti, a common composition in Castilian silverwork of the time.
This chalice is very similar to two others by the same artist that are preserved in Castile and Leon. One is in the town of Rueda (Valladolid) and the other in Masueco (Salamanca). In the opinion of Pérez Hernández (1990, 106), the Salamanca chalice is the most Renaissance of the three in terms of the development of the stem.
It has lost some details of the acanthus leaves on the sub-cup and also the original gilding in some areas, although the piece is in a good state of general conservation.
Locations
ca. 1560 - ca. XIXth c.
XIX B.C. - pre. 1936
private collection
Private collection, United Kingdom (United Kingdom) *
post. 1936 - present
Bibliography
- BRASAS EGIDO, José Carlos (1980): La platería vallisoletana y su difusión, Institución Cultural Simancas. Diputación Provincial de Valladolid, Valladolid.
- OMÁN, Charles (1968): The Golden age of hispanic silver, 1400-1665, Victoria and Albert Museum, Londres.
- PÉREZ HERNÁNDEZ, Manuel (1990): Orfebrería religiosa en la diócesis de Salamanca. Siglos XV-XIX, Diputación de Salamanca, Salamanca.
Record manager
David Sánchez SánchezCitation:
David Sánchez Sánchez, "Chalice" in Nostra et Mundi. Cultural Heritage from Castile and Leon around the world, Fundación Castilla y León, 2025. https://inventario.nostraetmundi.com/en/work/447
Chalice from Medina del Campo
Author and location marks
Mark of Domingo León and Medina del Campo (According to Charles Oman, 1964)
Charles Oman (1964).