Description - Chalice (tree of life) with lid & octagonal mahogany case, made of metal in about 1890, with silver plated exterior surfaces & gold plated interior surfaces (photographs 1 to 21). The chalice consists of two pieces a goblet & a removable lid (photographs 2 to 7). The lid has a black pointed handle at the top, a dome shaped central section, & a circular rim & flange fitting at the bottom (photographs 2 to 5). The interior of the lid is hollow with a bolt at the top for removing the handle, & a gold plated interior surface (left of photograph 7). The goblet consists of a circular lip at the top of the bowl (a flange fitting with the removable lid), a long cylindrical hollow bowl, situated on long thin cylindrical stem, & a large circular base at the bottom, enabling the goblet to stand upright (right of photographs 6 & 7) . The interior surface of the hollow bowl is gold plated, the exterior surfaces of the stem & base have been decorated to resemble the trunk of a tree (or the tree of life), & the bottom of the base has a hollow interior with a bolt at the top, for removing the bowl from the stem (photographs 8 to 12).
The Chalice is stored in its octagonal mahogany case with its lid turned upside down (photographs 13 & 14). The interior of the case is covered in soft red felt to protect the exterior surfaces of the chalice (photograph 15). The bottom of the case's interior includes an extruding hollow circle for securing the base of the goblet within the case (photographs 13 & 15). The exterior of the case has an adjustable brass carrying handle fixed to the top surface of the octagonal lid, which is itself opened via rotation of a brass hinge by 180 degrees (photographs 16 & 17). The long octagonal central section of the case consists of two halves, a solid back half, & a front half that is divided into two doors, which both open by approximately 100 degrees, again via the rotation of two brass hinges (photographs 13 to 19). The thick octagonal base situated at the bottom of the case, includes a piece of light brown cloth attached to its bottom surface, which protects surfaces that the case may be placed on (photographs 16 to 20). The two doors of the central section, when closed, are secured by two brass rotating hooks that each fit into a small brass ring on the other door (photographs 14 & 16). The lid at the top of the case, when closed, is similarly secured by a rotating brass hook situated near the top of each door, & two small brass rings positioned near the front of the lid (photographs 14 & 16).
Condition - There are a pair of thin scratches on the top surface of the lid & on the outside surface of the goblets's bowl (photograph 4 & left of photograph 6). The surfaces of the goblet & lid include numerous small marks, some thin scratches, & tarnishing (photographs 2 to 12). The rims around the circumferences of the lid & the top of the goblet's bowl include some very small dents, & are slightly misshaped (photographs 2 to 9). The wooden surfaces of the case include some marks & scratches, the red felt covering the interior surfaces have areas of wear, & the brass hooks, rings, & hinges are tarnished (photographs 15 to 19). The end of the lowest hook is also missing (photograph 21). However, generally the chalice & its octagonal mahogany container are in good condition, when considering their age & previous use (photographs 1 to 21).
Dimensions - The total height of the Chalice (including lid) is 23.5 cm, the maximum diameter 8 cm, & the weight 305 g (photographs 2 to 5). The diameter of the circular opening at the top of the goblet (lid removed) is 6.4 cm (photographs 8 & 9). The maximum height of the closed octagonal mahogany case is 29 cm, the width 11.6 cm, & the weight 1.335 kg (photographs 16 to 19). The total weight of the chalice in its octagonal mahogany case is 1.640 kg (photographs 13, 14, & 16).