Marked by Joseph Moser (born Bohemia [now Czech Republic], active Austria, 1715–1801)
Vienna
Monstrance
INV-3327
Marked by Joseph Moser (born Bohemia [now Czech Republic], active Austria, 1715–1801)
Vienna1762
Monstrance
Marked by Joseph Moser (born Bohemia [now Czech Republic], active Austria, 1715–1801) Vienna →silvermetalwork
Date
1762
Medium
Gilded silver, semiprecious stones, and glass
Dimensions
70.2 × 38.1 × 20.1 cm (27 5/8 × 15 × 7 7/8 in.)
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Location
Chicago, IL
Credit
Emily Crane Chadbourne Fund
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.