Casket Of Holy Oils – France, 1702

Goldsmith Pierre Perrine – General Farmer Description: Rare rectangular solid silver reliquary casket for the Holy Oils, intended for the storage and transport of sacred oils used in Catholic liturgy. The casket is topped with a four-sided pyramidal lid surmounted by a small applied cross. It is hinged at the back and closes with a chain ending in a rod, a system characteristic of small portable liturgical caskets from the late 17th and early 18th centuries. The interior contains two cylindrical silver ampoules, each with a domed lid and a trilobed handle evoking a stylized clover or fleur-de-lis. The lids are engraved with initials allowing identification of the oils stored inside. The ampoules bear the inscriptions: • OS – Oleum Sanctum: oil of catechumens or exorcisms. • SC – Sanctum Chrisma: holy chrism used for baptisms, confirmations, and ordinations. The ampoules retain ancient traces of holy oils, attesting to their liturgical use. The case rests on a molded plinth base, typical of French goldsmithing during the reign of Louis XIV. Hallmarks and Dating Several hallmarks are visible under the box: • Limoges Guild mark: crowned letter I (Town Hall), used between 1698 and 1789. • General Farmers' Hallmark: A with the scepter of Saint Louis and the hand of Justice – farmers Adrien Vannier and Pierre Perrine (1697–1704). • Discharge mark: A surmounted by a fleur-de-lis – tax farmer Jacques Léger (1687–1691). The combination of these hallmarks allows us to date the manufacture precisely to 1702. The small cross at the top appears slightly earlier and could have come from the reuse of an older liturgical item. Liturgical context: These portable caskets were used by priests to transport holy oils during baptisms, confirmations, last rites, or pastoral visits. They were kept in sacristies or used when traveling for the sacraments. Comparisons: A chalice and paten bearing the hallmark of Pierre Perrine and kept at the Church of Saint-Laurent are listed as part of France's movable heritage. Dimensions: Length: 7.4 cm Width: 3.9 cm Height: 7.5 cm