A Parisian Empire silver communion chalice and patene
Round, fluted base decorated with grapes and wheat sheaves surrounding three plaques depicting scenes from the Passion made by the Parisian medal caster Jean-Pierre Montagny (1789 – 1862), signed “MONTAGNY F(ECIT)”. The tulip-shaped cup richly decorated with Neoclassical ornament surrounding three oval medallions with portraits of Mary, Christ, and St. John the Apostle. The patene engraved with Christ's monogram and the crown of thorns. H 32 cm, weight 883 g.
Marks of Jean-Charles Cahier.
Jean-Charles Cahier was one of the most important French silversmiths of the 19th century. After training under Napoleon's court goldsmith Martin-Guilleaume Biennais, he passed his master's examination in 1802 and soon began receiving commissions from the French court. In 1821, he finally took over Biennais' workshop and held the title of court goldsmith to Kings Louis XVIII and Charles X. In addition to his work for the court, he also executed significant ecclesiastical commissions; the French Register of Historical Church Silver lists 86 pieces bearing his mark, most notably reliquaries, baptismal fonts, and processional crosses. His most famous work is probably the reliquary of the Crown of Thorns in the silver chamber of Notre Dame de Paris, commissioned by Napoleon in 1806 and designed by Eugène Viollet-le-Duc.