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Model Chalice

A work made of gilt base metal, enamels, and semiprecious stones.
CC0 Public Domain Designation

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  • A work made of gilt base metal, enamels, and semiprecious stones.

Date:

c. 1849

Artist:

Designed by Augustus Welby Northmore Pugin
English, 1812–1852
Manufactured by John Hardman & Company
English, 1838–2008

About this artwork

Augustus Welby Northmore Pugin was one of the most important early-19th-century designers of Gothic Revival architecture, furniture, and interior decoration. He trained under his French-born father, the architect Augustus Charles Pugin, an authority on medieval buildings. A devout convert to Roman Catholicism in a predominantly Anglican country, the younger Pugin proselytized through his architectural work and in a series of publications issued between 1835 and 1843. For Pugin, the Gothic style expressed the faith and conviction of the Middle Ages and was a necessary counter to the increasing secularism and industrialization of his own time. In addition to chapels and churches, he also designed the liturgical equipment, altars, hangings, and vestments within them. Pugin also adapted the Gothic Revival style for his secular commissions, which included the Houses of Parliament in London.
This chalice was designed by Pugin and produced by the workshop of Hardiman & Company, a firm retained by the architect to make metal implements and fittings for his commissions. The word MODEL is inscribed on its underside, which suggests that the vessel served as a sample to be shown to potential clients. Final, commissioned versions of the chalice would be handcrafted by goldsmiths in precious metals and gemstones, rather than die-struck in Sheffield plate, the silver-plated copper that was commonly used for ordinary metal work.

— About This Object, European Decorative Arts LaunchPad app

Status

Currently Off View

Department

Applied Arts of Europe

Artist

Augustus Welby Northmore Pugin (Designer)

Title

Model Chalice

Place

England (Artist's nationality:)

Date  Dates are not always precisely known, but the Art Institute strives to present this information as consistently and legibly as possible. Dates may be represented as a range that spans decades, centuries, dynasties, or periods and may include qualifiers such as c. (circa) or BCE.

1844–1854

Medium

Gilt base metal, enamels, and semiprecious stones

Dimensions

H.: 26 cm (10 1/4 in.); 26.7 × 19.1 cm (10 1/2 × 7 1/2 in.)

Credit Line

Bessie Bennett Endowment

Reference Number

1981.640

IIIF Manifest  The International Image Interoperability Framework (IIIF) represents a set of open standards that enables rich access to digital media from libraries, archives, museums, and other cultural institutions around the world.

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https://api.artic.edu/api/v1/artworks/63525/manifest.json

Extended information about this artwork

Object information is a work in progress and may be updated as new research findings emerge. To help improve this record, please email . Information about image downloads and licensing is available here.

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