Chalice (caliz)

This elegant vessel lacks a maker’s mark but is nearly identical in form and treatment to two other chalices attributed to the talented silversmith José María Rodallega of Guadalajara. It is fully gilded and ornamented with an elaborate display of emblems of the crucifixion, lamentation, and entombment of Christ. A handsome product of the late Rococo style, the chalice appears to twist of its own accord, its base forming an elaborate skirt in motion. The bowknots and flattened foliate treatment around the base suggest the encroachment of Neoclassical taste that was first introduced in Mexico in 1785 with the formation of the Academy of San Carlos.

The date of the chalice is based upon its almost certain fabrication in Rodallega’s workshop, whose working dates overlap with those of assayer Antonio Forcada y la Plaza. The assayer’s abbreviated mark “FCDA” is stamped on the vessel, but the absence of the silversmith’s touchmark, despite the crown’s rigorous oversight of the guild in Mexico, prevents a secure attribution. The “M” crowned mark refers to the location of the assayer. The fiscal tax, as evidenced by the eagle mark, demonstrated payment of el quinto real.

This text has been adapted from "Silver of the Americas, 1600-2000," edited by Jeannine Falino and Gerald W.R. Ward, published in 2008 by the MFA. Complete references can be found in that publication.