This important piece of goldsmithing was probably a gift sent to Pope Pius IX a year before his death by the Catholic faithful of the Bavarian city of Würzburg, then a vacant episcopal see. It is masterfully executed in neo-Renaissance style with fine applications of pierced grapevines and volutes that enclose circular reserves depicting scenes from the Passion of Christ against a blue enamel background. It also features multiple natural pearls and cabochon garnets set on the foot and in the base.
The chalice bears an inscription in Gothic letters and the date, 1877, engraved on the base.
The valuable work probably served as a “precious” memorandum for the Holy Father, a testament to the loyalty offered by the Christian community of the Bavarian city after the end of the Church’s temporal power, which occurred with the capture of Rome by the sharpshooters and infantry of the Royal Italian Army on September 20, 1870.
This event marked the end of the Papal States and the subsequent retreat of the Pope, who declared himself a political prisoner, within the Vatican walls.
However, it may have also have served the purpose of a veiled invitation to appoint a new episcopal figure for the vacant bishopric, which had been unoccupied for two years, perhaps considered too long for a city that had once been the seat of Prince-Bishops.
