Beautiful Eucharistic Ciborium in solid silver and brass. France, XIX Century

This amazing liturgical piece is an antique Eucharistic ciborium, made in France in the 19th century. The ciborium is in excellent condition and draws our attention for its gorgeous design. It is made of golden brass and sterling silver the brass surface is completely decorated with fine engraved motives. The design is balanced and stylized, with a timeless beauty that turns it into a state-of-art piece. The ciborium preserves the original lid and its silver parts bear hallmarks. We can see the French silver mark (a profile of Minerva goddess) and a monogram with the initials VF, the silversmiths mark. The piece has a wide base with lobed edge, quite stable and decorative. It is made of golden brass and is enhanced with three engraved medallions. These are made of sterling silver and are almond-shaped: each one depicts a figure from the New Testament. We can see Jesus Christ as the Sacred Heart, the Virgin Mary in a suffering attitude and Saint Joseph with his attribute, a flowery branch. They are delicately engraved with a high attention to detail; they stand out for their accuracy and beauty. The base is adorned with an engraved motive that imitates basket weaving; it also bears a decorative fringe and a surface with fleur-de-lis decoration. The stem has two nodes, a smaller one and a bigger one. They are engraved with the same motives as the ciboriums base. Over them we can see the sterling silver cup, fitting into a golden brass cup with fleur-de-lis engraved details. The cup can be covered with the fine golden brass lid that shows the same decoration as the rest of the piece and is crowned by a beautiful Celtic cross. Its delicate beauty and magnificent condition turn this Eucharistic ciborium into an exclusive item, worthy of a museum of sacred art. Measurements: Width: 5.5 in /14 cm. Height: 11 in /28 cm.