Chalice
This impressive silver chalice was used to hold the consecrated wine during the Roman Catholic service of the Mass. It was made in Mexico City by Antón Dantés, a silversmith whose distinctive figure style is indebted to the mannerist sculpture of Spain. In confidently worked reliefs on the foot and cup of the chalice, Dantés exploits the expressive potential of his precious medium. His slender, elongated figures convey a sense of urgency and intense emotion through their exaggerated movements and ecstatic expressions. Narrative reliefs on the foot of the chalice include the Annunciation to Joachim, the Visitation, the Annunciation to the Virgin, and the Nativity, subjects linked by clear references to the mystery of the Incarnation.
Artwork Details
- Title: Chalice
- Maker: Antón Dantés (Mexico, 1544–1588)
- Date: ca. 1560–1570
- Culture: Mexican
- Medium: Silver, gilt, repoussé, chased, cast, and lathed, with burnished punchwork
- Dimensions: Height: 13 in. (33 cm); diam. of base: 8 1/4 in. (21 cm)
- Credit Line: Purchase, Nancy Dunn Revocable Trust Gift, 2018
- Object Number: 2018.189
- Curatorial Department: The American Wing
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Mexican
mid-16th century
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