Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1917-02-04

~ EN ERAL Arabs. IN 1910, GUg n
-,eii Somewhere or the site of
" ancient Antioch. on the River
w Orontes. in Syria. After pene-
trating the sand for many meters they
came upon an underground chamber.
connected with others. Disappointed at
finding water the Arabs. true 70
their instincts as searchers for buried
treasure, explored the underground
spaces and were rewarded by finding 4
number of silver objects. There We're
seven in ail-two ehaIices three book
covers and two ceremonial crosses. In
addition there We're enough crumpIed
fragments of silver to fill Il sack. The
treasure was taken 10 The surface.
The fragments of siIverswere smcIt-
ed for the value OF the metal, but the
Arabs. recognizing the probable market
value of the intact objects. held them
for purchaser. Antioch is known as
the site of mach buried treasure, and
IS constantly visited by aA:iuuarians
and collectors. There was then on the
ground a member of !; Russia. family
named Kouchakji. noted dealers in an
tiqueS. with houses in Petrograd. PARIS
arI New York. NJ. Eouchakji bougTlc
SIX of the seven pieces. one of tbs
crosses being obtained by NJ. Froehner
Il well known French archco;ogist. The
SIX pieces secured by NJ. houchakii were
taken 20 Paris.
The larger chalice eNcavated 1T An
tioch was recognized immediately by
its purchaser as one of the most imp5s-
tant archaeological finds of centuries.
When it had been cleaned. in Paris. OF
the coating of oxide which had aeon
mulated in the course of nearly 1900
years, it was found to be not only of
rare artistic beauty. but of the utmost
Importance as an object of religious.
history. 1t is now in New York for safe
keeping. having been sent there from
Paris when the German armies were
approaching the French capital, and is
an object of eager study by archie
ologists and theologians. 1t was my
good fortune to see it the other day in
Its resting place. under the sidewalk of
9th avenue, where it is guarded as one
of the most priceless things i'll the
\ world.
This great chalice of Antioch as it is
now called. stands ~ centimeters. or
about J.. inches. in height. and in its
original shape would have contained about
2h quarts of liquid. 1t is made of silver
and comprises two distinct bowls, an in
ner bowl of plain silver and an outer
covering or shell of -chased-appled or
naments soldered to the inner bowl
Originally the outer bowl was gilded with
gold leaf. deep red for the sculptures and
pale yellow for the lotus cup at the base
the stand and the foot. Much of the gold
has been worn away. possibly in use
centuries ago and partly perhaps through
the oxidization of the metal. Traces of it.
however, remain.
Standing in glass case fitted with
screened electric lights to give perfect il
Elimination. in which the chalice was most
e tenderly placed by NJ. Kouchakji upon nv
presentation of a card which admitted
me, this chalice is wonderfully impressive,
not merely as a work of art but as a
relic Of the earliest days of Christianity
For science has declared this wonderful
object, so strangely rescued from tho
earth. to be associated with perhaps the
very earliest practices of the church
founded upon the preachings and life of
christ But il has even more Significance
and value than as a mere relic of the
carry church, Tor in its Sculptured orna-
.inents are twelve heads. which are be-
Heved by those who have examined il
scientifically to be the portraits of Christ
and the apostles. Two of these heads the
central figures of the groups forming the
sculptures of the chalice. are accented as
those of Christ or of Christ and the Bap-
list. On this point there is no present de-
termination Nor has there been any at
tempt at conclusive identification of the
ten patriarchs portrayed in the remaining
sculptures. who are at present believed 10
be apostles of Christ. Later studies NAV
bring about identification. If so. this
chahce VIII possess the greatest signifi-
tCiiNSiN apie presenting the earfl-
est authentic portrait OF the men who es-
tablished Christianity
One unavoidably approaches an OBJ
Ject OF TINS character with some skep-
ticlsm The world has been tricked in
the past with fakes and misled By mis-
taken researches and deductions into
accepting for a time as genuine relics
OF much later periods than those at
tributed to them. So in the case of
the great chalice of Antioch the first
question that arises is, What assurance
is there that this object is not of mod
ern manufacture, or, if it is ancient
what proof is there of its identification