Art Institute of Chicago

Monstrance

Marked by Joseph Moser (born Bohemia [now Czech Republic], active Austria, 1715–1801)LinkedCulture matchlcp-8dfbf17a5cea

Date: 1762
Medium: Gilded silver, semiprecious stones, and glass
Culture: Vienna
Department: Applied Arts of Europe
Institution: Art Institute of Chicago
Object ID: 33274

From the Art Institute of Chicago record

Goldsmith Josef Moser designed this monstrance as a metaphor for Christ’s sacrifice. The base forms a sacrificial pyre for burnt offerings, which emit a heavenly vision of golden smoke, clouds, and light. At the summit God the Father gives his blessing, with the dove of the Holy Spirit below. A bejeweled glass vessel at the center would have held Christ, the Son, embodied as the consecrated bread of the Eucharist, replacing the burnt offerings of old. With the Eucharist placed inside, the monstrance provided the Catholic faithful—who believe the bread transforms into the very being of God—a focus for adoration and prayer.

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