Artwork
The Great Chalice Adorned with Figures
The Great Chalice Adorned with Figures is a print by the Baroque artist Wenceslaus Hollar. It dates from 1640 and is held in the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art.
About this work
Look up other works in the subject: bohemia, 17th century to see how artists from this region mixed religious and foreign designs.
This etching shows a giant chalice covered in tiny carved figures—saints, apostles, and scenes from Christ’s death. The base is shaped like a pointed Moorish arch, a style from Spain and North Africa.
Hollar didn’t see the chalice in person. He worked from a drawing owned by his patron, the Earl of Arundel. The piece was meant for Catholic Mass, holding the priest’s wine, but Hollar turned it into a detailed print anyone could own.
Look up other works in the subject: bohemia, 17th century to see how artists from this region mixed religious and foreign designs.
Overview
The Great Chalice Adorned with Figures is an etching by Wenceslaus Hollar, depicting a life-sized Catholic chalice adorned with intricate religious imagery and Moorish design elements.
Subject & Meaning
The chalice, traditionally used to hold consecrated wine during Mass, features scenes of Christ's suffering and death, standing saints and apostles, and a subtle crescent suggesting the Eucharistic wafer, symbolizing the body of Christ.
Technique & Style
Hollar's etching combines detailed, miniature figures with a distinctive Moorish-inspired pointed foot, reflecting the fusion of religious and foreign design influences characteristic of 17th-century Bohemian art.
History & Provenance
Created from a drawing in the collection of Hollar's patron, the 14th Earl of Arundel, this work was produced without the artist seeing the original chalice, making the etching an accessible representation for a broader audience.
Context
This piece exemplifies the 17th-century Bohemian artistic tendency to blend religious themes with exotic, imported styles, such as Moorish architecture prevalent in Spain and North Africa.
Legacy
As a widely distributable print, The Great Chalice Adorned with Figures extended the reach of intricate, religiously themed artwork beyond ecclesiastical circles, contributing to the broader dissemination of Bohemian artistic styles.
Artist & collection
Artist
Wenceslaus Hollar (Czech: Václav Hollar (Czech pronunciation: ), German: Wenzel Hollar; 23 July 1607 – 25 March 1677) was a Czech engraver, etcher and painter.
