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Title

Chalice

Generic classification
Goldsmithing
Object
Chalice
Date
1490
Century
Last quarter of the 15th c.
Cultural context / style
Late Gothic
Material
Silver
Technique
Gilded, Enameled, Cast
Iconography / Theme
Vegetación
Provenance
Possible origin from Castile and Leon (Castilla y León, Possible origin from Castile and Leon, Spain)
Current location
Ashmolean Museum (Oxford, United Kingdom)
Inventory Number in Current Collection
WA1947.191.166
Object history

The decoration of the foot with a pronounced relief, as well as the prominent elements on the knop, indicates that this is a work of Late Gothic, probably executed around 1489-1495. It is regrettable that the chalice bears no maker's mark (Barrón García, 1998), but there is a striking similarity between this piece and a chalice currently held at the Collegiate Museum of Daroca in Zaragoza (Cruz Valdovinos, 1992). The Daroca piece was made by Alonso Sánchez de Salinas (Barrón García, 1994), who had his workshop in Burgos. This is unsurprising, as in the 15th century, numerous commissions were given to Burgos goldsmiths (Barrón García, 2000), whose works ended up scattered across the peninsula. 

Be that as it may, it seems both chalices were crafted by the same artist, and thus it appears plausible to think it originated from Burgos. It is unknown when the piece left Spain, but it eventually came into the possession of Francis Mallett in the first third of the 20th century. His father, John Mallet, was a jeweller who opened his own shop in 1865, so we cannot ascertain whether he owned it earlier. Francis Mallett donated his collection of clocks and ivories, along with other pieces including this chalice, to the Ashmolean Museum (Oxford). Consequently, in 1947 the chalice became part of the Ashmolean Museum's holdings, where it remains to this day.

Description

It is a chalice with a semi-oval bowl, featuring an inscription near the rim and a longer transverse axis. The decoration consists of superimposed thistle leaves. Its stem has an octagonal shape with a beaded edge along the corners and a grooved surface. The knop has prominent protrusions resembling shields, adorned with vegetal elements. The decoration of the foot and the knop is in high relief, indicating that this is a work from the Late Gothic period.

Locations
* The relative location of dealers, antique shops, art galleries, and collectors leads us to the places where they were based or had one of their main headquarters. However, this does not always indicate that every artwork that passed through their hands was physically located there. In the case of antique dealers and art merchants, their business often extended across multiple territories; sometimes they would purchase items at their origin and send them directly to clients. Similarly, some collectors owned multiple residences, sometimes in different countries, where they housed their collections. It is often difficult to determine exactly where a specific piece was kept during its time in their possession. Consequently, the main location of the dealer or collector is indicated. These factors should be considered when interpreting the map. Refer to the object's history in each case.
Bibliography
  • BARRÓN GARCÍA, Aurelio (1998): La época dorada de la platería burgalesa, 1400-1600, Junta de Castilla y León. Diputación Provincial de Burgos, Burgos.
  • BARRÓN GARCÍA, Aurelio (2000): "La platería en Castilla y León", en El arte de la plata y de las joyas en la España de Carlos V, SEACEX, La Coruña.
  • BARRÓN GARCÍA, Aurelio (1994): La platería burgalesa, 1475-1600, Universidad de Zaragoza, Zaragoza.
  • CRUZ VALDOVINOS, José Manuel (1992): Platería en la época de los Reyes Católicos, Fundación Central Hispano, Madrid, pp. 135-136.
Citation:

Isabel Escalera Fernández, "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/70

Ashmolean Museum, Oxford.

Ashmolean Museum, Oxford.

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