Silver Chalice, Paten, France Circa 1800, By Loque Goldsmith

Neoclassical silver chalice, resting on a circular ogee foot decorated with four leaves and a radiant cross. The base terrace features a repoussé and guilloché corolla of lanceolate leaves alternating with stylized fleurs-de-lis. The stem is punctuated by a two-register baluster knot, decorated with rope-patterned rings and flanked by two flattened orbs decorated respectively with water leaves, palmettes and lanceolate leaves for the knot, and fusaroles for the orbs. The shaft bears a straight cup, gilded inside, which flares out in its upper part. This chalice is accompanied by its paten, engraved with the symbol of Christ. 950/1000 silver, Coq hallmarks and Paris guarantee mark (1798–1809). Master silversmith: Jean-Ange-Joseph Loque**, hallmarks visible on the cup and on the foot. Dimensions: Height: 27.5 cm Diameter of the base: 13.2 cm Diameter of the cup: 8.5 cm Weight: 370 g Paten: In 950/1000 silver, from the same period of manufacture. Diameter: 13.8 cm Weight: 70 g Silversmith: JFM for Jean-François Mézard, circa 1800 Good condition Chalice: Very good condition, including the gilding of the cup. No trace of repair, only a few superficial traces of use. Jean-Ange-Joseph Loque, a silversmith specializing in religious silverwork and active during the First Empire, created many prestigious pieces preserved in the cathedrals of Angers, Paris and Rouen. (Source: Dictionnaire des arts liturgiques, XIXe–XXe siècle, p. 302, ISBN 2-85917-215-7)