The Cleveland Museum of Art
Collection Online as of December 21, 2025
The Great Chalice Adorned with Figures
1640
(Bohemian, 1607–1677)
Sheet: 46.7 x 24.5 cm (18 3/8 x 9 5/8 in.)
Gift of Leonard C. Hanna Jr. 1924.648
Location: 101B Prints & Drawings
Did You Know?
Dating back to the Romanesque period, architectural niches populated by Christ's apostles—like those seen on the stem of this chalice—are a common feature on church facades.Description
Chalices traditionally hold the priest’s consecrated wine during Catholic Mass. Wenceslaus Hollar made this etching of an over-life-size chalice from a drawing in the collection of his patron, the English 14th Earl of Arundel. The elaborate decoration consists of scenes from the suffering and death of Christ, standing saints and apostles on the stem, and a pointed foot inspired by Moorish designs (a style prominent in Spain and North Africa featuring distinctive pointed arches). The barely discernable crescent shape just above the rim suggests a hovering Eucharistic wafer, representing the body of Christ.- ?–1924Leonard C. Hanna, Jr. [1889–1957], Cleveland, OH, given to the Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OHJune 26, 1924–The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
- In Vino Veritas (In Wine, Truth). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (September 7, 2025-January 11, 2026).Design and Decoration: Ornament Prints. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (August 7-October 28, 1990).Collecting Drawings in England. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (November 3, 1987-January 17, 1988).Master Goldsmiths of the Renaissance: Their Models and Designs. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (November 2, 1982-March 20, 1983).
- {{cite web|title=The Great Chalice Adorned with Figures|url=false|author=Wenceslaus Hollar|year=1640|access-date=21 December 2025|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}
Source URL:
https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1924.648