Precious Eucharistic Ciborium in Solid Silver with Contrasts. Barcelona, XIX Century

This striking antique silver piece is a church ciborium made in Barcelona in the 19th century. Though it is a really ancient article, it has survived to our days in excellent condition and preserves wonderfully its beauty and its aristocratic elegance. This piece bears hallmarks in all its parts and it is also marked with the name of the silversmith that made it, engraved beside the Barcelona coat of arms. The ciborium draws powerfully our attention because of its decorative design: it is profusely adorned with hand-engraved reliefs and motives that shine on the silver surface. The ciborium stands on an ample circular base, in whose edge we can see a stylish dedicatory engraved in the metal: Donado a la Iglesia [] por Dn. Orencio, Dn. Gaspar y Dn. Tomás Castellano. Año 1885 (Donated to the Church of [] by D. Orencio, D. Gaspar and D. Tomás Castellano. Year 1885). The word Church is slightly worn and the name of the temple has been completely erased. At the ciboriums base we can also see the silversmiths hallmark with the name ROVIRA CASAS and the coat of arms. Between the base and the beginning of the stem there are several engraved motives depicting gloves, roses, three arrows pointing upwards, bunches of grapes and an old lantern. The stem is beautifully shaped, with a central piece molded in the shape of a jar and decorated with leaves and grooves. Just over it we can see the cup and the lid. Outside the cup there are several engravings with different symbols: the grape bunches again (that symbolize the wine in the Eucharist), the wheat stalks symbolizing the bread, a plant with a sword in front of it, a group of three dices and two clubs tied with a ribbon. The lid is engraved with abstract decorative motives and is crowned by a ball with a diagonal ring and a cross on top. Measurements: Width: 5.3 in/13.5 cm. Height: 12.5 in/32 cm. Weight: 458 g.