Chalice. Madrid, late 18th century

Chalice. Madrid, 1777.
Gilded silver.
Hallmarks of the town of Madrid on the side of the base.
Total weight: 680 gr.
Measurements: 27 x 15,5 cm (major diameter).

Late rococo style chalice, with elements that speak of the evolution towards neoclassicism, made entirely in silver worked by embossing, chiseling and engraving, and also decorated with gilt work around the mouth. It presents the usual structure in the chalice of this time, with a large stepped foot of undulating profile, shaft with shaft structure and cup with marked sub-cup. The foot is unified through the decoration, something typical of rococo that will change with the arrival of the neoclassical. It is made up of embossed brackets, vines and rocaille crests, with chiseled details, which unfold on the foot in a naturalistic manner. The shaft structure has a lower spool, a typical rococo knot in the form of an inverted pear and an upper baluster. It is entirely decorated with vegetal motifs and rocailles, worked in bas-relief by embossing, with chiseled and stamped details. Finally, the sub-cup also has a sinuous profile of an inverted pear, in contrast with the straight walls of the mouth, which is unornamented.