Ardagh Chalice
Precious Celtic Metalwork From Ireland.
Cork Arts and Crafts

Ardagh Chalice

Along with the Tara Brooch, and the Derrynaflan Chalice, the Ardagh Chalice ranks as one of the finest examples of Celtic metalwork art from the Irish Insular style of the eighth or ninth century CE - part of the monastic Irish art of the period. About 6-7 inches in height and 9 inches in diameter, the ministerial chalice is a two-handed silver cup, embellished with gold, bronze, pewter, enamel, and brass fittings. Other semi-precious materials used include glass, amber, malachite and rock crystal. Assembled by Celtic metalworkers and metallurgical artists from over 350 separate components, it consists of three main pieces - the bowl, the stem and the base - all held in place by a copper bolt.

Metalworking Techniques

The hemispherical silver bowl is encircled with decorative panels of gold filigree, gilt bronze and millefiori studs. The panels are decorated with zoomorphic images of animals and birds as well as geometric interlace patterns in the La Tène Celtic art style. Below the gold filigree, the names of the Apostles (except Judas) are lightly inscribed in a frieze. To make the Ardagh Chalice, forge workers and metallurgists had to master a wide range of metalworking techniques. These would have included: melting down artifacts to produce scarce metals, lost-wax casting, riveting, soldering the gold filigree, handling molten glass, as well as techniques of cloisonné and enamelling.

Date of Construction

Archeological experts are unsure of the exact date of the chalice. It may be eighth or ninth century, although the method used to join the three basic parts (bowl, stem and base) is less sophisticated than that of its sister treasure, the Derrynaflan Chalice, which suggests the eighth century. According to Celtic scholars, this example of early Christian art was probably created by metalworkers at the Clonmacnoise monastery.

Discovery

The Ardagh Chalice was discovered in 1868, in a field near the village of Ardagh, County Limerick, by two boys, Paddy Flanagan and Jim Quin. Inside the chalice was a smaller bronze ministerial cup and four brooches. Its discovery helped to fuel the Celtic Arts Revival movement in Victorian England. The so-called Ardagh Hoard is currently on display at the National Museum of Ireland. Between 1990 and 1995, the chalice appeared on a postage stamp issued by An Post as part of the Irish Heritage and Treasures series, to commemorate outstanding works in the history of Irish art.

• For more about Irish cultural history and craftwork, see: Visual Arts in Ireland.
• For information about art and crafts in Ireland, see: Irish Art: Visual Arts Cork.

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