Silver And Vermeil Chalice, Spain (aragon) Early 17th

This vermeil chalice consists of a smooth, flared cup resting on a node decorated with incised plant motifs, which also extend down the stem and onto a circular foot.

The foot also bears an inscription:
+DON GRABIEL+BLASCO+DEALAGON+IDONA MARIANA+XIMENEZ+DEVREA+CONDES+DESASTAGO
which identifies Gabriel Blasco de Alagón y Martínez de Luna (Count from 1593 to circa1604) and his wife Mariana Jiménez de Urrea y Enríquez, the fourth Count and Countess of Sástago, both from prominent families of the Kingdom of Aragon. The marriage, which took place in 1602, is documented by the banns preserved in the Historical Archives of the Nobility in Toledo.

The coats of arms of both families are also engraved on the foot, symbolising the union of the House of Alagón and the House of Jiménez de Urrea.
Hallmarked and in very good condition, this chalice is a rare example of early 17th-century Spanish goldsmithing and of an alliance between two great Aragonese families.