Chalice in gilded copper and silver. Germany. Gothic. Early 15th century. 21.5 x 16.5 x 16.5 cm   The piece no longer retains the gemstone or enamel cabochons it originally bore. In our opinion, the chalice presented here derives, in its typology, from the one held in the collection of the National Archaeological Museum (inv. 2002/74/1), dated circa 1370–1380, as they share evident common features clearly described on the museum’s website: “Chalice composed of a smooth, open cup, with a circular base that gradually narrows to form the first section of the cylindrical stem, ending in a ringed portion upon which sits the knop typical of the second half of the 14th century. It consists of a flattened spherical expansion from which six diamond-shaped forms project, possibly enamelled originally. The base of the knop evolved into a star-like structure. It terminates at the upper end with a small moulding that serves as a base for the cup, which opens progressively in a conical shape.”   Regarding the antecedents of our piece, we refer to those of the museum’s chalice: “It reproduces the structure and formal and stylistic characteristics of other noble metals, such as silver, belonging to a typology common in Central Europe—Germany, Austria, and Czechoslovakia. In this sense, a closely related though less evolved model may be found in the chalice (inv. 23084) of the Landesmuseum in Graz, dating to around 1360, which Johann Michael Fritz, a distinguished expert in German Gothic goldsmithing, attributes to Vienna.”   Our example, unlike the compared model, features a hexagonal ring as an ornamental element on the stem near the base, which is also echoed, in relief, on the base itself. This detail anticipates the evolution of chalices from later decades with hexagonal bases. An example is the chalice by the Master of the Tulip from Bruges, made of gilded silver and enamels, preserved in the Church of the Nativity of Our Lady in Ondarroa, dated circa 1441–1466. Finally, it should be noted that the surface of the base bears an engraved Templar or Maltese cross within a circle, which was possibly originally enamelled in red.   Reference bibliography: - Museo Arqueológico Nacional. (s.f.) “cáliz”. https://ceres.mcu.es/pages/Main. - Cilla López, Raquel. (2016). “La platería en Vizcaya del gótico al neoclasicismo”. Tomo II. P. 15, Nº 26. Universidad de Cantabria.