Neo-Gothic Chalice

	Neo-Gothic Chalice

As the chalice is accorded central significance in the celebration of the Eucharist, goldsmiths were commissioned with creating numerous such liturgical vessels, which frequently were given to a clergyman as gifts by his home parish or for a special occasion. When Matthias Eberhard was elected Bishop of Trier in 1867, the Trier clergy had a chalice created for him and presented him with it when he assumed office.

Following long-standing tradition, the chalice (9 in/ 23 cm high) for mass is composed of a foot, a knop or pommel halfway up the stem, and a cup. On the six medallions of the sexfoil, the foot displays scenes from the story of salvation: the Annunciation, the birth of Christ, the Adoration of the Wise Men, then the crucifixion, the three women at Christ’s grave, and Christ as Pancrator (world judge).

The reliefs recall models from the 14th century. Two hexagonal sections make up the stem, on which the knop sits, allowing the celebrant to hold the chalice securely. The open work knop is composed of foliage work and quatrefoils studded with precious stones. The lower half of the cup is supported by open work composed of wine leaves and an inscription on an enamel band circling the cup, ending in the polished upper half of the cup.

Together with August Witte and Reinhold Vasters, Hubert Martin Vogeno (1821 to 1888), whose goldsmith’s mark the chalice bears, counts among the most well-known Aachen goldsmiths of the Romanesque and Gothic revival. Whereas his father had created primarily neo-classical and neo-baroque works, the son specialized in Neo-Gothic works.

In the predominately Catholic Prussian Rhine Province, Aachen and Cologne as well as Trier were important centers of goldsmith artistry in the 19th century.

Author: Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Schmid