The Great Chalice Adorned with Figures
1640
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
1640
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
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.
