Published: 20241003
Specialists from the National Museum – Palace of the Grand Dukes of Lithuania received an offer to acquire a valuable 400-year-old piece of jewellery and investigated its long and intricate history. Efforts were made to uncover the details of the communal chalice created in 17th-century Lithuania, yet some aspects remain a mystery. However, through the study of this liturgical vessel, the craftsmanship of Lithuanian goldsmiths was revealed, and the activities of the noble Masalski and Jasinski families came to light.
In the first half of the 17th century, a silver communal chalice was created in Lithuania, engraved and gilded. It stands 28 cm tall and weighs almost half a kilogram. Until the mid-17th century, treasures crafted by Lithuanian goldsmiths were exceedingly rare due to the invasions, plundering, and destruction wrought by Moscow. This piece, which blends elements of the Renaissance and early Baroque, also retains features of the fading Gothic style—characteristic of Lithuanian goldsmithing at the time, says Dalius Avižinis, Head of the Collections Department at the National Museum – Palace of the Grand Dukes of Lithuania. This communal chalice could be considered one of the oldest surviving liturgical vessels in our country, and the engraved coats of arms on its foot provide insights into individuals who lived in the 16th and 17th centuries, making it an important historical source.
Specialists in historical artefacts and art historians, having examined the vessel, confirm that it is exceptionally valuable both artistically and typologically, as no similar examples have been found in Lithuania. The appearance of a relic from the Grand Duchy of Lithuania on the market is exceedingly rare. In fact, the National Museum – Palace of the Grand Dukes of Lithuania has never previously possessed a communal chalice.
An Impressive History of Donations from a Noble Family
It has been established that the foot of the communal chalice is engraved with coats of arms and initials. On one side, the coat of arms of the Masalski family appears alongside the initials A M, belonging to Alexander Masalski, a statesman of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, Marshal of Kaunas (from 1617), District governor of Josvainiai (from 1625), Castellan of Dorpat (1627–1631) and Smolensk (1631–1638), and Voivode of Minsk (1638–1643). On the opposite side, the Vanagas coat of arms is depicted with the initials A I, belonging to Apolonija Jasinskytė, daughter of the Grand Chancellor of Lithuania, Mikalojus Jasinskis, and secretary to Stephen Báthory. These engravings evoke the history of the Masalski family in the 17th century: Alexander Masalski married Apolonija Jasinskytė, and together they made significant donations. In 1618, the couple contributed to the construction of the Bernardine Monastery in Kaunas, founded Rietavas in 1626, and established Veiviržėnai Church in 1639. Between 1625 and 1634, they also funded the construction of the brick Church of the Holy Trinity, where Masalski was later buried.
However, Alexander Masalski’s contributions did not end with these substantial religious endowments. In 1596, he inherited the Zapyškis estate (then known as Panemunė) from his father, Grigalius Masalskis, who had purchased it from Andrius Sapiega. Masalski’s son later built a chapel in Jadagoniai on the estate, and a few decades later, on 23 July 1632, he financed the construction of Zapyškis Church. Art historians researching the potential provenance of the chalice speculate that it may have been donated to Zapyškis Church.
A Remarkable Addition to the National Museum – Palace of the Grand Dukes of Lithuania’s Collection
The priest and historian Jonas Totoraitis noted in the early 20th century that a monstrance donated by the Masalski family once remained in Zapyškis, though it was subsequently lost. Thus, the communal chalice now held by the National Museum – Palace of the Grand Dukes of Lithuania is the only known surviving gift from the Masalski family to Zapyškis Church.
The chalice was discovered in the 20th century in the Braziukai parish at Paluobiai Church. Experts at the time suggested that it may have been transferred there in the pre-war years when a new Braziukai parish was established. Specialists recognised that the old artistic chalice at Paluobiai Church was an exceptionally rare example of Lithuanian sacred goldsmithing, vividly illustrating the development of sacred metalwork in Lithuania and Poland from the late 16th to early 17th century. A distinctive feature of Renaissance goldsmithing in Lithuania was the persistence of Gothic influences in the creation of liturgical vessels.
Few liturgical vessels from this period have survived in Lithuania, and researchers had previously considered the chalice in Paluobiai one of the country’s oldest extant examples. Moreover, the coats of arms of the Masalski and Jasinski families engraved on its foot offer further historical insights into individuals who lived in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. The chalice is regarded as an exceptionally valuable artefact, both artistically and typologically, as no comparable example has been found in Lithuania.
This extraordinary Lithuanian artefact from the early 17th century has now enriched the collection of the National Museum – Palace of the Grand Dukes of Lithuania. The restored chalice will be displayed in the permanent Grand Duchy collection alongside other masterpieces of Lithuanian goldsmithing. Such rare items seldom appear on the market.
The Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Lithuania provided the funds for its acquisition.
