Title

Chalice

Muñoz, Diego (Segovia, ca. 1511 - Segovia, ca. 1574)

Generic classification

Object

Century

Cultural context / style

Dimensions

Material

Technique

Iconography / Theme

Provenance

Current location

Inventory Number in Current Collection

Inscriptions / Marks

Inscription: [around edge of foot] ESTE CALIZ ES DE LA CAPELLANIA DEL S~PERO LOPEZ HIZOLE SUSOBRI [NO] RODRIGO LOPEZ (trans: This chalice is [the property] of the chapel of Senor Pero Lopez, son of the deceased Lord Rodrigo Lopez); [in two medallions on foot]: IHS XPS; [between two medallions, near edge of base] PEZ

Marking: [on edge of foot, between medallions, once each]: (an aqueduct surmounted by a bust believed to be of Pompey, SECO below, town mark of Segovia; (Diego Muñoz, maker's mark of Diego Munoz)

Object history

Clues as to the origin of this work can be found in the inscriptions, as well as in the heraldic and ornamental motifs that appear on the chalice. Esmeralda Arnáez, in her study on religious goldsmithing in the province of Segovia, drew attention to some of the mysteries surrounding this piece. She identified the silversmith’s hallmarks and the aqueduct mark above “Sego,” which indicated its Segovian origin. She also noted the mark of Diego Muñoz, although in this case, she wavered between Diego Muñoz I and Diego Muñoz II; for while she interpreted the piece’s aesthetic as characteristic of the second Diego Muñoz of this lineage of Segovian silversmiths—documented between 1530 and 1574—and classified it as such, the Gothic influence in the inscription at the base of the chalice led him to consider the possibility that the first Diego Muñoz might also have been involved. On the other hand, the lily vase—the emblem of Segovia Cathedral—could indicate that the piece specifically originated from the diocese’s main cathedral; however, the chaplaincy referred to at the base of the chalice does not appear to be located in Segovia Cathedral, where no Pero López is listed as the founder or administrator of any such chaplaincy. Furthermore, the coat of arms—featuring a tree flanked by two goats at the base of the chalice—is typically associated with the La Encina surname, and this is also puzzling in the context of the cathedral, which led the aforementioned author to raise the possibility that the piece might have come from a convent of Franciscan Conceptionist nuns, such as the one in Ayllón (Segovia), since one of the emblazoned houses in that town —the Casa del Águila— preserves a coat of arms in which one of the quarters features this heraldic motif of a tree flanked by two goats reaching for the upper leaves (Arnáez, vol. I, pp. 226–227).

However, we would like to point out other details that might allow us to explore a new hypothesis regarding its possible provenance: the Hospital of the Conception of Our Lady the Virgin Mary (Segovia), founded in 1518 by Pedro López de Medina (†1518) and Catalina de Barros (†1519), his wife, who died childless. On October 14, 1518, Pedro López de Medina executed his will; he died the following day (Carretero and Vilches, 1991). In his last will and testament, he stipulated—in agreement with his wife Catalina Barros, given that they had no children—that a hospital dedicated to Our Lady of the Conception be founded. This foundation was to be established in the houses that made up his residence, near the parish church of San Martín de Segovia, and which was located precisely on the site where King Enrique IV's palace had once stood. He appointed the dean and the chapter of Segovia as patrons of this foundation (Colmenares, 1846–1847, p. 34). His wife, Catalina Barros, founded and endowed a chaplaincy linked to her family in the chapel of the aforementioned hospital. She designated relatives of the Barros lineage as patrons and instructed that the chaplains be housed in their homes, to ensure the best possible care for the chaplaincy and to secure its connection to her family “so that the said patronage does not leave their lineage.” In addition, he named his mother, Leonor de Castro, as his sole heir (Contreras, 2025). 

In his will, Pedro López de Medina, in addition to his devotion to the Virgin Mary, referred to “Saint Francis, to whom I am deeply devoted” (Carretero and Vilches, 1991); indeed, one of the decorative elements that runs along the chalice, highlighting the spaces set aside for ornamentation, is the cord —a motif very characteristic of Franciscan worship. Furthermore, López de Medina expressed the wish that his body be buried “in this house of mine where I live and which I have designated as a hospital, named and endowed in honor of the Immaculate Conception of Our Lady the Virgin Mary, in the chapel designated for that purpose in the aforementioned endowment.” In this regard, the vase of lilies appearing at the base of the chalice is one of the emblems of the Immaculate Conception, to whom the hospital is dedicated; it is also an emblem of the Cathedral of Segovia, to whose representatives he entrusted the patronage of this healthcare center: “Let the chapter of the city’s clergy be summoned, and because I am in the process of reaching an agreement with the dean and the chapter of the main church of this city, I appoint and designate them as patrons of my aforementioned hospital” (Carretero and Vilches, 1991). The inscription “pez” at the base of the chalice signifies this symbolic link to Jesus Christ and the idea of salvation, which has been very present in funerary contexts since the early years of Christianity. Furthermore, the fact that he died without direct descendants and that he made provision for his siblings in his will suggests that this piece was bequeathed to his chaplaincy by a nephew.

Siblings mentioned in his will: Francisca del Castillo, Antonio del Castillo, and Constanza del Castillo—from which it can be inferred that this was his surname, and that “Medina” was, perhaps, the place name of his place of origin. In any case, there is some uncertainty surrounding the origins of Pedro López de Medina. It has even been suggested that he might have been related to Juan López de Medina, who served as bishop of Segovia between 1502 and 1507; however, the most reliable evidence suggests that Pedro López de Medina was a merchant engaged in the wool trade —bearingin mind that Segovia was a leading center for the cloth trade, from which a rich output was exported, thanks to the quality of Merino wool, primarily through the fairs in Medina del Campo—. The fact that he was a wealthy man but lacked a noble lineage would explain the lack of clarity regarding his ancestry, as well as the difficulty in interpreting the heraldry that appears both on his arched pedestal as in the chapel itself, where his tomb and that of his wifeare located (Martín Ansón and Abad Castro, 2012, p. 40). This complex heraldic interpretation also applies to the coat of arms depicted on this chalice –assuming it pertains to the individual in question–, since we have not documented a nephew of Pedro López de Medina named Rodrigo López; he did, however, have a nephew named Diego López. 

Finally, it is worth noting that the silversmith Diego Muñoz —Diego Muñoz II, according to Esmeralda Arnáez’s classification—was also a parishioner of the Segovian parish of San Martín, just like the patrons of the aforementioned hospital; the craftsman lived in houses near Calle Real (Arnáez, pp. 200–238), and thus in a location immediately adjacent to the hospital founded by Pedro López de Medina. Consequently, it seems reasonable that he was the silversmith commissioned to create a piece intended for that chapel. In any case, in the absence of more conclusive evidence, these are merely circumstances we can present in this complex search for the specific place of origin of this chalice.

Description

This chalice has a circular foot, on which the following appear: the monogram of Christ, a cross, a floral motif, a shield with a vase of lilies, and a noble coat of arms depicting a tree and two goats facing each other. The inscription surrounding the rim of the base reads: THIS CHALICE BELONGS TO THE CHAPLAINCY OF ST. PERO LOPEZ; HIS NEPHEW [NO] RODRIGO LOPEZ MADE IT. The stem is hexagonal, and the chalice has a large bowl decorated with leaves. The piece bears the hallmarks of the silversmith Diego Muñoz and Acueducto in “Sego” [Segovia]. The archaic appearance of the inscription, which exhibits Gothic features, led Esmeralda Arnáez to question its attribution to Diego Muñoz II, the second member of that lineage, and to suggest that it might instead be attributed to the first member of this line of silversmiths, Diego Muñoz I, who also worked for the Cathedral of Segovia. In any case, the author was merely expressing this doubt, based on the style of the inscription (Arnáez, 1983, pp. 226–227), although it is true that the design of the chalice and the other ornamental motifs are characteristic of the mid-16th century. 

Locations

• Unknown date

  province

  Segovia, Segovia (Spain)

• 1950

  private collection

  Mary Alice Dyckman Dean, Mrs. Bashford Dean., Riverdale, New York *

• 1950 - present

  museum

  The Cloisters. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York (United States)