HERITAGE TREASURES: Rare Tasmanian chalices and patens

By 1847, Bishop Willson had insufficient chalices to meet the needs of his growing diocese, but, because of the chronic poverty of his See, his order for ten chalices and patens had to be filled by the most economical means. It seems as though his friend Pugin produced a new design to meet the need, using the latest manufacturing techniques to keep the costs to a minimum, and reserving the use of silver for the patens and the chalice bowls. The resulting little chalices were superbly proportioned and balanced, relying for their beauty on pure line and form, with an astringency that would later come to be associated with the Arts and Crafts Movement at the end of the nineteenth century. It is worth noting that they were designed specifically for Tasmania, and no examples are to be found elsewhere, underscoring their significance and rarity.

Seven of the ten chalices and patens were distributed to those members of Willson’s clergy who were posted across Tasmania as Prison Department chaplains. Their dissemination provides a window into the world of Willson’s diocese, dominated by the demands of service to the convict population in the numerous probation stations across the island. Remarkably, seven chalices and five patens have survived, their condition mirroring over a century and a half of use. They have been re-discovered in locations as widespread as the far north-west, the north, north-east, Midlands and the south. All but one of the chalices have been re-plated—some very poorly—the wear on the un-refurbished one clearly revealing its base metal body.

The small size and light weight of these precious survivors made one of them ideal for inclusion in the Mass kit for a priest whose parish duties entailed long-distance travel between churches. It came as quite a surprise to him to discover that the little chalice in the boot of his car was more valuable than the vehicle itself!

By Brian Andrews

Tags: Heritage Conservation