Ciborium for the Coronation of Napoleon I

Charles Percier

1804 · Graphite, pen and brown ink, gray and reddish-brown wash · Drawings and Prints

Ciborium from a set of two design drawings for a communion service consisting of a ciborium and a cup. The foot and base of the two designs are the identical in their structure and decoration. The metal work is covered all over with decorations typical for the Empire period. Characteristic is the Imperial eagle which is depicted between palmettes on the node. The ciborium has a wide, covered cuppa. The lid is crowned by the symbol of a cross on a globe. Along the edge of the cuppa is a frieze with cherubs, interrupted in the center by a roundel with the IHS mark. Below is another frieze carrying the inscription: ‘SALVTARIS HOSTIA QUAE COELI (…)’.

Artist

Charles Percier

Date

1804

Medium

Graphite, pen and brown ink, gray and reddish-brown wash

Department

Drawings and Prints

Credit line

Van Day Truex Fund, 2013