Poland, Chalice with coins 18th century(?) - Malbork
A beautiful chalice with coins. A typical monument of noble culture, popular from the 17th to mid-19th century, where a variety of forms are encountered. Among the most sought-after and valued products of this type are especially magnificent tankards and goblets from the Gdansk, Torun and Malbork manufactories. An interesting, rare form in the form of a chalice on a foot with an additional silver insert.
The chalice lacks 2 coins, after which holes were left in the body (probably fell off due to use). From the inside of the body it is clearly visible that mint coins, or very short-lived coins, were inserted into the chalice, which allows dating the set to the end of the 17th century. At the same time, the great diversity of the material points to an order, perhaps from a collector from Silesia - as indicated by the Wroclaw medal, which is the only element of the set not related to monetary circulation sensu stricto - rather than the typical setting of a treasure found during fieldwork in the 18th and 19th centuries in silver.
A unitary item, which is not only an interesting witness of history, but also an exquisite monument of goldsmith's art. Products of this class are practically unheard of in the trade, and most similar products preserved to this day are found in museums.
In the body of the chalice set in, among others:
--the Cracow troquers of Sigismund III Vasa
-the Gdansk chalices of Sigismund III Vasa
-the Torun port of John II Casimir from 1663 Shatalin 2-4 (R4)
-the Gdansk port of John II Casimir of 1662 Shatalin 1-2 (R4)
-the Cracow port of Jan II Casimir
-Cracow port of Jan II Kazimierz from 1668
-John III Sobieski's port of 1677 - Shatalin 2-1 (R3)
-Kingdom port of 1626 - Shatalin 1-1 (R4)
-Kingdom port of 1662
-Kingdom port of 1674
-Kingdom port of 1665
-two Swedish markers of 1656 and 1665
-Kittel medal minted on the occasion of the preparations for the Peace of Breslau in 1742 (F.u.S 4274);
On the body, oak leaf pattern engraving and inset 17th century coins terminating at the foot passage, which is an interesting link to the spout, decorated only in fine filigree.
On the foot, the Malbork city hallmark dated to the second half of the 18th century (Gradowski p.112), the JW namesake and an additional hallmark.
Clear signs of long-term use, which further indicates a magnate's order - the utilitarian nature of an object of this class, the manufacture of which was certainly costly is, as a rule, atypical for this type of relics, especially those made in the 19th century, where their character was already mostly purely commemorative.
Condition of preservation overall good, aside from the indicated shortages of two coins.
Silver, foot diameter 12.2 cm, spout diameter 9.5 cm, height 27.7 , total weight 850 g.
