Cup of the Ptolemies
The Cup of the Ptolemies (
Description
The two-handled cameo cup, one of the acknowledged masterpieces among hardstone carvings of classical antiquity,[nb 1] was carved out of onyx and measures 8.4 cm high with a diameter of 12.5 cm.[5] The cup is covered in Dionysiac vignettes that feature masks, vases, holy animals, and garland: symbols of the cult itself.[1]
What is today considered the front of the vessel depicts six masks surrounding an anclabris. The anclabris is depicted as if it were made out of marble, and two sphinxes—beings that serve as allegorical representations of the mysteries of the Dionysian religion—are supporting the table. On the anclabris stands a small statue of Hermes, next to which hangs a mask with pipes. Above this mask may very well be the raven of Apollo.[1] On the left side of the table, a goat is seen resting on the ground, surrounded by the symbols of the cult.[7] Finally, a wicker basket can be found to the right of the table, out of which a snake emerges; this basket motif is often found in Dionysian artwork, and seemingly was an object of great importance to the religion.[1]
On the upper-left side of what is today considered the back of the vessel, the mask of
It seems that the vessel's pagan origins were overlooked when it was converted into a Christian chalice during the Middle Ages.
History
The cup was probably made in
The exact history of the cup is largely unknown, although Conway suggests that the cup probably belonged to the Holy Roman Emperor Charlemagne before being passed down through the French kings, one of whom eventually donated it to the abbey of Saint Denis.[6] The cup was occasionally used as a chalice for communion wine, and figured in the coronation of the French monarch, at which, according to S. G. Millet as quoted by Conway, the queens took "ablution from this chalice, after holy communion".[3][6] In 1634, the cup was estimated to be worth around 25,000 livres, with the gem-encrusted gold mountings valued at 1,200 livres. Until September 1791 it formed part of the treasury of Saint-Denis. It was stolen in 1804, although it was later recovered missing its mounts when the thieves were caught in the Netherlands.[3][5] The cup is now in the Cabinet des Médailles at the Bibliothèque nationale de France in Paris.[11]
Chalice mount
Sometime during the Carolingian period, a base "in the shape of a truncated cone" was constructed to make the vessel appear more like a traditional chalice, and the cup's knob was "partially covered with cloisonné goldsmith work".
Suger also added a two-line Latin inscription on the chalice mount, known only from the engraving made by Félibien, which reads: hoc vas
See also
- Interpretatio Christiana, the adaptation of non-Christian elements of culture or historical facts to the worldview of Christianity
Notes
- ^ Michel Félibien refers to it as "the most precious vase that is in the treasure of Saint-Denis, and perhaps in any European cabinet",[4][5] and Martin Conway notes that it is "one of the greatest treasures in the Cabinet des Médailles".[6]
- ^ In the 19th century, scholars suggested that words were missing from the lines, since the legend seems to be incomplete as it reads in the engravings. Visconti proposed the addition of the words "devota" and "sublimis", which are included in brackets.[13]
- ^ Conway argues that Suger was almost certainly referring to Charles the Bald: "Seeing that Suger himself in his own writings calls Charles the Bald Charles III, and as Charles the Bald gave many treasures of great value to St. Denis, whereas Charles the Simple is not otherwise known to have given any, it is practically certain that Charles the Bald was the donor."[6]
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h de Clarac, Frédéric (1841). Musée de Sculpture Antique et Moderne [Museum of Ancient and Modern Sculpture] (in French). Imprimerie Royale et Impériale. pp. 418–421.
- The University of Michigan. p. 205.
- ^ a b c d Middleton, John (1891). The Engraved Gems of Classical Times: With a Catalogue of the Gems in the Fitzwilliam Museum. CUP Archive. p. 62.
- ^ a b c d Félibien, Michel (1706). Histoire de l'Abbaye Royale de Saint-Denys en France [History of the Royal Abbey of Saint- Denis in France] (in French). Plate VI illustrates the cup with its Carolingian mounts. Paris: Frederic Leonard. pp. 544–545.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Stones, Alison (November 29, 2006). "Images of Medieval Art and Architecture – The Treasure of Saint Denis – Cup of the Ptolemys". University of Pittsburgh. Retrieved December 27, 2014.
- ^ . Retrieved December 27, 2014.
- ^ ISBN 9789004096493.
- ^ ISBN 9781409486848.
- ^ de Saint-Amant, Jean Tristan (1644). Commentaires Historiques, Contenans l'Histoire Générale des Empereurs, Impératrices, Caesars et Tyrans de l'Empire Romain [Historical Commentary, Containing the General History of the Emperors, Empresses, Caesars and Tyrants of the Roman Empire] (in French). Paris.
- ^ a b Lehmann, Karl; Sandler, Lucy, eds. (1964). "Essays in Memory of Karl Lehmann" (1). New York University Institute of Fine Arts: 211–212.
{{cite journal}}
: Cite journal requires|journal=
(help) - ^ Babelon 368; D. Gaborit-Chopin, Le Trésor de Saint-Denis [The Treasury of Saint-Denis], exhibition catalogue, D. Alcouffe, D. Garborit-Chopin et al., Paris: Musées du Louvre, 1991, no. 11, pp. 38-40.
- ^ a b c Gabroit-Chopin, Danielle (1987). "Suger's Liturgical Vessels". In Gerson, Paula (ed.). Abbot Suger and Saint-Denis: A Symposium. Metropolitan Museum of Art. p. 283.
- ^ de Clarac, Frédéric (1841). Musée de Sculpture Antique et Moderne [Museum of Ancient and Modern Sculpture] (in French). Imprimerie Royale et Impériale. p. 418.
Visconti rightly observes what Tristan and Montfaucon, in their descriptions, had overlooked: that these lines are incomplete, and there were without a doubt two words that hid on the binding of the gold foot, between "tibi" and "mente", "Francos" and "regimen". And thus Visconti restored these two lines.
- ISBN 9780754609575.
- ^ Collection de Pieces [Collection of Pieces] (in French). Austrian National Library. 1826. p. 428.
Others think that this [chalice] was made by Charles the Simple: but this is not the place to discuss this issue.
Further reading
- B. de Montesquiou-Fezensac and D. Gaborit-Chopin, Le Trésor de Saint-Denis, 3 vols (Paris, 1973–77)