Antique Gilded Solid Silver Ciborium with Three Medallions. France, 19th Century

Antique gold-plated solid-silver ciborium with three silver medallions, made in France in the 19th century. This item stands out for its sober and stylish beauty and for its great condition. The silver is very well preserved and shows no visible dents or flaws, while the gold plating looks shiny and even. At the ciboriums base we can see three beautiful silver medallions with portraits of Jesus, Saint Joseph and Virgin Mary. They are wonderfully manufactured details, very realistic, which reveal the hand of a consummated artist. The medallions are signed B.F. and show profiles of the members of the Sacred Family. As well as the medallions, the flower-shaped foot also bears a hand-engraved decorative band. This detail is composed of floral-inspired motifs and crismons (the anagram of the Greek name of Jesus Christ), which is repeated three times. This band is also engraved at the ciboriums node, the cup and the lid. Instead of crismons, the cups decoration contains three hand-engraved motifs: a chalice with the consecrated host, an anchor (symbol of the hope in Christ) and the Sacred Heart. The lid is crowned by a fine silver cross that acts as a handle to lift it. At the cups edge, the base and the lid we can see the hallmark which identifies antique French silver pieces and the silversmiths mark too. This beautiful antique gold-plated solid-silver ciborium with three silver medallions is a real collectors piece, worthy of inclusion in a museum of religious art. Dimensions: Bases Width: 5.83 in / 14.8 cm. Height: 11 in / 28 cm. Cups Width: 4.57 in / 11.6 cm. Weight: 709 g.