Monstrance
Unknown Artist
early 20th century (original dated late 15th century)
Medium
Silver gilt
Dimensions
Overall: 21 5/16 x 8 1/4 x 6 15/16 in. (54.2 x 21 x 17.6 cm)
Classification
Reproductions-Metalwork
Culture
Portuguese
Department
Medieval Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Rogers Fund, 1909
Accession Number
09.200.8
Art Historical Context
This exquisite *Monstrance*, a faithful early 20th-century reproduction a late 15th Portuguese original, stands as a testament to the opulent metalwork traditions of medieval Iberia. Crafted in silver gilt—a technique where a thin layer of gold is applied over silver for a radiant, durable finish—it was designed for the Roman Catholic Church to display the consecrated Eucharistic host during adoration ceremonies. Towering at over 21 inches tall, its elaborate form likely features a sunburst of rays and Gothic tracery, evoking divine and the miracle of transstantiation, a centralet of late medi...