Matteuccia Struthiopteris - Ostrich Fern Chalice
The Holy Grail is often portrayed as a sparkling chalice style cup filled with magical liquid, this imagery inspired me to create a hammered silver chalice with a little magic of its own; utilizing the classic stemmed vessel shape and adding my own organic twist. This piece was created through traditional silversmithing techniques, raising and fabricating sheet silver into the vessel shape, and hammer chasing the fern and fiddlehead imagery by hand. These ancient processes slowly move metal and create strong heirloom quality objects.
I chose to adorn this vessel with a fern and fiddleheads as ferns have a special place in my memories of my childhood spent in the New England forests. Picking fiddleheads in the spring, and summers running through the soft meadows of ferns. Not only are they beautiful but the transformation that happens every year is fascinating, and evokes a sense of renewal within me. The Holy Grail is supposed to give you eternal youth, and I couldn’t think of a more fitting species to represent this. Ferns may not produce flowers, but like silver without the adornment of stones or enamel, it can be even more beautiful in its simplicity.
Measures 7 5/8" tall, 4 1/8" diameter. Handcrafted in Portland, Maine USA from 100% US sourced recycled metals. Comes packaged in a soft anti tarnish pouch.
