4 cuts sent e-m 4-24

1 ½ col

Archbishop Walter’s chalice and paten  from Canterbury Cathedral, circa 1160, silver gilt.

1 ½ col processional cross

Processional cross, 1990, silver, ebony and enamel, Gerald Benney.

1c primates..

Primate’s cross, 1883, silver gilt, George Frederick Bodley.

1c steeple..

Steeple cup, circa 1619, silver gilt.

MUST RUN 5/16

ENGLISH CHURCH SILVER AT GOLDSMITHS’ COMPANY MAY 30 w/4 cuts

avv/gs set 4/24 #737244

LONDON — The Goldsmiths’ Company will host the largest ever exhibition of English church silver, “Treasures of the English Church: Sacred Gold and Silver 800–2000” on view at Goldsmiths’ Hall May 30–July 12.

Held under the patronage of the Archbishop of Canterbury, the exhibition features more than 330 fine objects from some of the country’s grandest cathedrals and from parish churches throughout England.

This is the first exhibition of such importance and scale ever to take place. It will be displayed over two floors at Goldsmiths’ Hall, which will assume an appropriately ecclesiastical atmosphere for the occasions to complement the gravitas of the subject matter. Each piece vividly evokes the tradition, symbolism and unbroken ritual of the Church of England through the ages.

Exhibition curator Timothy Schroder, said, “The exhibition is a visual record of the entire history of the English Church and it is fascinating to see how the range and design of these precious objects reflect the politics and the theology of their times.”

Many of the treasures on display have until now only been seen by local congregations.

All the exhibits will be viewable at up close as opposed to the elevated distance of the altar. Never before has it been possible to marvel at the minute detail of the jewel-encrusted Primate’s processional cross, loaned by the Archbishop of Canterbury. One of the highlights of the exhibition, the cross was designed and made in 1883 by George Frederick Bodley. Richly bejeweled, it incorporates later additions of three sapphires and three opals that were presented to Archbishop Fisher when he visited Australia in 1958.

The exhibition includes a display of Seventeenth Century altar services brought together for the first time. Illustrating the glories of post-Reformation church plate, pieces from these grandiose, sculptural altar services on loan from the Bishop of Durham, St George’s Chapel Windsor, Christ Church Cathedral Oxford and Rochester Cathedral represent church silver at its most opulent and flamboyant. Three alms dishes, together with a pair of flagons chased with feathers, all dating from circa 1660 and loaned by St George’s Chapel Windsor, are powerful examples and clearly demonstrate the grandeur and confident skills of Seventeenth Century silversmiths.

Among the earliest exhibits are Archbishop Walter’s silver gilt chalice and paten from Canterbury Cathedral, dating from about 1160, which were discovered in his tomb, together with various jewels and pins which attached his pallium to his vestment. The paten is finely engraved with the image of the Lamb of God and is one of several interesting medieval patens included in the exhibition.

A small collection of medieval jewelry is also featured, including of New College Oxford. Other jewels exhibited, including a group from Durham Cathedral, were discovered in bishops’ graves excavated during the Eighteenth and Nineteenth Centuries.

One of the important themes of the exhibition is the role of the Church as preserver of objects that would otherwise almost certainly have ended up in the melting pot during the Civil War or at any other time simply through changes in fashion. These included a number of secular objects that were given to churches by pious parishioners and used for the service of Holy Communion.

Among these is a cup traditionally said to have been given by Anne Boleyn to her daughter Elizabeth I, who in turn gave it to her physician Richard Masters. Masters duly presented the cup, a secular drinking cup bearing the falcon badge of Anne Boleyn on the lid, to the church of St John the Baptist in Cirencester, where it has remained ever since.

Another example of an object that would not have survived is an silver gilt mounted crystal cup dating from 1577, presented to a church in Shropshire and is now preserved in Litchfield Cathedral Treasury.

The communion cup or chalice has undergone many transformations since the Middle Ages and a large group traces the development of its traditional and familiar form through the centuries. Following the Reformation most of the existing church plate was melted down and remodeled to be in keeping with the reformed religion. The chalice adopted a more secular look with a simple conical bowl and stem. An impressive example from Eton College, dating from 1569–70, is a good illustration, although it is considerably larger in size than most, perhaps denoting the wealth of the college.

A select group of Roman Catholic recusant plate reminds the visitor of the religious persecution that was prevalent in England following the Reformation.

Further interest is likewise provided by a small group of foreign silver objects that have made their way into English church collections, including unusual chalice and cruet stand plundered in the late Seventeenth Century from a church in Havana, Cuba, that now belongs to a church in Gloucestershire.

Aside from many of the country’s great cathedrals, other major lenders to the exhibition are Oxford Colleges, most notably Corpus Christi College and New College. A gold chalice and paten dating from circa 1507 given by Bishop Fox, founder of Corpus Christi, is the earliest piece of hallmarked English gold in existence.

Moving into the Twenty-First Century, pieces such as an altar cross and two candlesticks made by Michael Lloyd in 2000 and a censer completed as recently as 2007 for Lincoln Cathedral by Anthony Elson, demonstrate how the church today remains a major patron of the silversmith’s art and how contemporary silversmiths continue to contribute to this important tradition.

Goldsmiths’ Hall is at Foster lane. For additional information, 020 7606 7010, www.thegoldsmiths.co.uk or www.whoswhoingoldandsilver.com.