Title: Antique Brass Golden Chalice Sterling Christian Communion Cup
Shipping: $29.00
Artist: N/A
Period: 20th Century
History: Art
Origin: North America > United States
Condition: Excellent
Item Date: N/A
Item ID: 356
Brass Chalice with Sterling Cup 9 ¾" Brass communion chalice with a gilt sterling silver cup, enameled cross at the base. Cup marked "Sterling" at the side. Condition: Overall good, light wear consistent with age and use. The chalice was a significant part of ecclesiastical life. It functioned to serve or hold consecrated wine in a church or chapel for the Christian tradition of communion, during which it was believed that the Eucharist and wine became the body and blood of Christ.
chalice, a cup used in the celebration of the Christian Eucharist. Both the statement of St. Paul about “the cup of blessing which we bless” (1 Corinthians 10:16) and the accounts of the institution of the Eucharist in the first three Gospels indicate that special rites of consecration attended the use of the chalice from the beginning. It was not until the recognition of Christianity by the Roman Empire in the 4th century that silver and gold became the usual materials for the chalice. In the Middle Ages the legend of the Holy Grail surrounded the origins of the eucharistic chalice with a magical aura. The precious stones and elaborate carvings employed for the embellishment of chalices have made them an important part of the history of ecclesiastical art.
