The Attarouthi Treasure - Chalice
Unknown Artist
500–650
Medium
Silver and gilded silver
Dimensions
Overall: 8 1/16 × 5 15/16 in., 13oz. (20.5 × 15.1 cm, 369g) Diam. of foot: 3 9/16 in. (9 cm) Diam. of knop: 1 9/16 in. (3.9 cm) Capacity of cup: 1100 ml
Classification
Metalwork-Silver
Culture
Byzantine
Department
Medieval Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Purchase, Rogers Fund and Henry J. and Drue E. Heinz Foundation, Norbert Schimmel, and Lila Acheson Wallace Gifts, 1986
Accession Number
1986.3.10
Tags
Art Historical Context
This exquisite chalice, crafted between 500 and 650 CE, belongs to the Attarouthi Treasure, a remarkable collection of Byzantine silver objects. Made of silver and gilded silver, it stands as a testament to the skilled metalwork traditions of the Byzantine Empire With a capacity of 1100 ml and elegant proportions—including a flared foot and decorative knop—the vessel was likely intended for liturgical use in early Christian worship, reflecting the central role of such objects in Byzantine religious ceremonies. The chalice’s surface features imagery associated with bishops and saints, undersco...