Ciborium; Spain, late 18th century.

Ciborium; Spain, late 18th century.
Partially gilded and chiseled silver.
Presents unidentified punch.
Measurements: 20 x 8 x 8 cm.
Weight: 212 g.
A ciborium or ciborium is a vessel used to keep the Sacred Form, used during the Eucharist. It is a typology created during the Romanesque period, already as a cup with a lid, following the contemporary chalice model. In the twelfth and thirteenth centuries it will be the least widespread model of vessel to hold the host, predominating instead in Europe the host and the Eucharistic dove. However, with the passage of time it will be imposed, and after the Counter-Reformation it will become an iconic piece within the Catholic rite, replacing the host (the Eucharistic dove disappears with the arrival of the Gothic period). The one we present here is an example of the refined baroque style, a language that expresses the dynamism and the play of hallmarks typical of the baroque through motifs such as grooves, moldings, staggering and engraved motifs. It consists of a stepped circular foot, with the different levels marked by grooves and moldings, horizontal stratification that, on the other hand, is continued in the rest of the piece, unifying it at a visual level. This compartmentalization of the piece, designed to enhance each of the parts that make up the structure, is a totally classical criterion that responds to the search for harmony and balance, and that we will see throughout the history of art in all classical-based movements, from Antiquity itself to Art Deco, through the Renaissance and Baroque.