The Madison daily leader. [volume] (Madison, S.D.) 1890-current, 1917-01-17
CHAL|CE BEARS
IMAGE OF CHRIST
Said 10 Be- Only Real Portrait
Of Saviour.
IT WAS FOUND IN RUINS

W6Qo Wy 1U0 wv f'1r~ ~~~''
Them, Says ArchaeoIosist--Cup Dug
From Ruins of Ancient Antioch ASH
ioned About Fifty Years After Christ.
What, Ii Is thought, may be accurate
portraits OF Christ and the apostles
have been discovered on an old chalice
dug up from the ruins of Antioch and
now In the possession of an art dealer
In New York city. With other silver
treasure the chalice came into the pos
session of the present owners direct
from the hands OF the excayators IA
1910, and sculptured In its ornamental
work are the portraits.
1t liz probable that the old chalice. on
communion cup, some of whose worn
figures bear witness to the imprint VI
the kisses Of early Christians, is a relic
OF a cathedral erected In Antioch by
Constantine the Great after his re
moval of the capital Of his empire to
Constantinople. This Antioch church
was intended to be the center OF Chris
tian worship In the east aud remained
standing until the year 52G, when dur
ing an assemblage Of 100000 Chris
tians the city was leveled by an earth
quake so disastrous that II building
could not be distinguished from an
other among the ruins.
It was natural that a challce OF such
great value and sanctity I'm the posses
sion OF the first Christian emperor
would have been left by him IN the
city where the word Christian was first
used and which was endeared to him
by Its associations with st. Peter. st.
Paul and other apostles who resided
there. This chalice and other treas.
ures discovered mt the same excavation
were removed to this country from
Paris for greater safety ut the out
break OF the war.
The chalice of the portraits a be
dated with certainty TO the second half
Of the first century A. d., says Or.
Gustavus A. Eisen. the archaeologist,
who IL now I'm this country and who
has made "a preliminary report upon IL
In the American Journal OF Archaeol-
ogy. 1t was found by Arabs digging a
well In Antioch on the Arontes, Syria.
At the depth OF many meters they
came upon underground chambers
which contained the treasure.
chaIics 10 In Three Parts.
The chalice with the portraits IL
made I'm three parts. There IL an inneI
bowl Of plain silver, crudely made
with a heavy outer casing Of beautiful
sculptured work In which, woven II
with a design Of vine leaves an
grapes, are the portraits OF Christ N
the disciples. The whole Is supporte'
ON a short, slender stem and marrow
foot disk turned out on a lathe from
solid block Of silver. On the lower par
OF the bowl OF the chalice IL a cluste
Of lotus leaves.
The body Of the chalice, while beau
tiful In form, Is crudely made, ban
mered from a thick sheet OF silver, th
edge turned rudely back without al
tempt at ornamentation or smooth tn
ish. Ii was not the property of th
rich. The fact OF its preservation ap
the beautiful s%culptured work, adde
to 1t later. with the portraits Of Chris
and the disciples upon 1t, makes il ev
dent that IL was In some way closet
allied to them.
The sculptured work Is Greek. tba
Of an artist, DR.. Eisen believes. an
the individuality shown In the face
makes Ii certain that they were take
from life or from portraits of whic
those In wax of the period were exec
lent. The reason for there being onl
ten of the apostles shown Is possibly
ii Is said, because the artist was fami
lar with the faces of Of only that nun
Der or had seer only that number ,
portraits.
"Such individuality cannot be the r.
suit OF accident" says DIR. Eisen, IAN
it is the first time that 1t has bee
shown In early Christian art
There are two groups Of figures. oil
on either side of the chalice, each co
tanning a central figure, with five apo
ties facing it. One figure OF the matul
Christ Is I'm the more prominent OF Il
two groups.
S~ymboIicaI Figures In Design.
Many of the apostles hold scrolls
their hands, one holds a purse and oil
a handle that may be that Of a swor
Doves, snails, a rabbit, a butterfly al
a grasshopper are among the anima
shown. There Is a band of ffty-seys
rosettes at the top OF the chalice,
about equal size, and at one point is
/ q such as was seen on pre- Romi
Antioch coins. The rosettes, which a
~noticeably crowded, may have refe
ence to the year, 1t Is thought.
The chalice Is nineteen centimete
high and the top Of the bowl eighte,
centimeters.
1t was with great difficulty that q
chalice was taken from Syria. 1t W
a year and a half before this could
accomplished. Rumor had made
known that a great treasure had be
discovered, and residences and offic
were searched for 1t, and 1t was on
by ~cOncealing 1t In q convent that