EN:Tassilo-Liutpirc Chalice

by Egon Wamers

The Tassilo-Liutpirc Chalice is a large liturgical chalice made of gilded and silver-plated copper, with glass inlays. It is inscribed as a donation from the Bavarian Duke Tassilo III and his wife Liutpirc, and was crafted between 770 and 780 in one of the duke's court or monastery workshops in the Salzburg region. Across its entire surface, it is decorated with a complex and colourful pictorial program featuring motifs and ornaments from the Italic and Insular (Irish-Anglo-Saxon) art circles. From an art-historical perspective, it is a key object of the Tassilonian treasure art of the 750s/780s and was described as the “state monument” of ancient Bavaria due to its inscription (Victor H. Elbern). It has probably been in the Benedictine monastery of Kremsmünster (Upper Austria) since 777, or since the fall of Tassilo in 788, where it has been referred to as the “Stifterbecher” (founder’s chalice) since 1696. Due to the equal mention of the ducal couple in the donor's inscription, recent research (2019) no longer considers the previous designation “Tassilo Chalice” to be appropriate.

Introduction

The Benedictine monastery in Kremsmünster (Upper Austria) houses a richly decorated Eucharistic chalice, which, according to an inscription on its base, was donated by the last Bavarian Agilolfing duke Tassilo III (r. 748–788) and his wife Liutpirc, daughter of the last Lombard king Desiderius (r. 757–774): + TASSILO DVX FORTIS + LIVTPIRC VIRGA REGALIS (Tassilo, strong duke + Liutpirc, royal scion). (Art) historical research generally assumed that the Tassilo-Liutpirc Chalice was commissioned by the duke on the occasion of the founding of Kremsmünster in 777. This unique work of art is considered a symbol of Tassilonian Bavaria and the most important testament to the artistic fusion of Italic-Lombard and Insular (Irish-Anglo-Saxon) art in Salzburg, the new cultural centre of Bavaria. The universally educated Irish abbot and Bishop Virgil operated here with his scholarly companions from 749 to 784. However, the production, authenticity, original function, art-historical attribution (whether England or Bavaria), and iconography of the chalice were disputed by researchers. A multi-year interdisciplinary research project by the Archäologisches Museums Frankfurt (Archaeological Museum Frankfurt), the Römisch-Germanisches Zentralmuseum (Roman-Germanic Central Museum Mainz), and Kremsmünster Abbey (2015-2019) was able to answer some of the previously unresolved questions about the Tassilo-Liutpirc Chalice.

Written and pictorial testimony

The first reliable mention of the chalice comes from the monk Berchtold (Bernardus Noricus) in the Kremsmünster monastery treasury in 1325 ("vas ... cupreum scelaturis"), where Bernardus assumed that it had been commissioned by Tassilo as a drinking vessel for Kremsmünster. However, it is also possible that it was mentioned earlier in the inventory of the church treasury compiled by Abbot Sigmar (1013–1040), as a later addition to fol. 70v of the Kremsmünster Codex Millenarius Minor Cim. 2 (second half of the 9th century): "1 · [calix] aureus · cūpatena". This replaces an older, but erased text, from which only “cupreus” instead of “aureus” can be inferred with some degree of certainty. What “cum patena” replaced is unknown; it seems to copy a formulation from the third line. It remains unclear when exactly the erasure and text modification occurred. In any case, the entry confirms that a copper chalice was part of the liturgical equipment used in Kremsmünster in the early 11th century. In the Baroque period (first listed in the monastery inventory in 1588), it served as a secular drinking vessel at the annual commemoration of the monastery's founder (December 11: possible day of death of Tassilo III). The first mention of it as a “Stifter Becher” (founder’s chalice) dates back to 1696; by then, it had already been fitted with a silver-gilt inset. The oldest detailed description comes from the inventory supplement of 1753, and the first — accurate — illustration in natural size appears in the copperplate engraving by Marian Pachmayr from 1777, made for the 1000th anniversary of the abbey’s foundation. In 1795, extensive restoration work was carried out, primarily on the silver inlays. It was not until 1857 that the chalice was recognised, documented, and scientifically studied as an important liturgical vessel (notably by Franz Bock, Pankraz Stollenmayer, Ernst Heinrich Zimmermann, and Günther Haseloff, until the mid-20th century). At the end of the Second World War, the Tassilo-Liutpirc Chalice was placed in a mine in the Salzkammergut for safekeeping. Since 1964, it is being used liturgically in the monastery on the Founder's Day and Maundy Thursday again, as well as serving as an urn for the election of the abbot. In the second half of the 20th century and the early 21st century, art historical and archaeological research has primarily focused on stylistic (Günther Haseloff; Kurt Holter; Volker Bierbrauer; Katja Žvanut) and iconographic (Victor H. Elbern; Egon Wamers) aspects of the chalice.

Material, design, technique

The Tassilo-Liutpirc Chalice (2nd half of the 8th century). View featuring the Christ medallion. The name Tassilo is inscribed on the foot directly below. (Photographer: Volker Iserhardt, Römisch-Germanisches Zentralmuseum Mainz [Roman-German Central Musuem Mainz])

The chalice, almost 26 cm in height (current dimensions: height 25.4–25.8 cm; bowl diameter 15.6–15.96 cm; foot diameter 13.46–13.54 cm; weight 2,372.56 g), consists of the cuppa (bowl, approximately 1.6 litres capacity) with a lower square rivet and the nodus foot, both crafted from pure, freshly mined copper whose source remains unidentified. The notched decoration and the 36 round settings on the nodus were cut out of the outer wall. This was followed by silver plating, niello (inlays of blackish metal sulphides), and fire gilding of the copper surfaces, as well as the setting of the green and blue translucent glass cabochons (domed glass stones), most of which are now lost. Finally, the cuppa and nodus foot part were securely pegged together and locked (the rivet was hammered in from the foot side). A later dis- and reassembly can be ruled out. The current positioning is original, meaning that the placement of the medallions and other decorative elements, as documented since 1777, is also the original arrangement - from the cuppa to the nodus foot. A solidly cast and gilded copper ring with 24 pearls covers the seam, which it once tightly enclosed, providing support for the cuppa. Today, the ring is loose and movable. The assumption that the chalice, held by the ring, was rotatable for the consecration of wine — as has often been suggested — is therefore ruled out, especially considering the weight of 4 kg, including the wine.

The slight asymmetry (axial displacement; varying diameters of the cuppa and foot) can be explained by secondary deformations during the 1200 years of use. The historically documented repairs (replacement of silver inlays) from the late 18th century were confirmed and precisely located during material analysis. The cuppa and foot, where gilding splashes can be found, were not gilded on the inside, which suggests that an original cuppa insert made of precious metal for liturgical use must have existed, which is now lost. The artistic quality difference between the high-quality notched decoration and the somewhat awkward and flawed niello design in the silver surfaces is striking. Various artisans must have worked on it. Apart from the repairs, dents, losses of inlays, and minor damages, the chalice is exceptionally well preserved and in its original state today.

Décor and stylistic-historical classification

The outer surface of the chalice is divided by a slightly raised framework of nielloed bars, forming a total of 133 geometric fields. Of these, the following 19 fields are particularly highlighted by silver plating, niello drawing, and gold hollows: nine oval medallion fields (five on the cuppa: Christ between the four Evangelists along with their symbols;four depictions of saints with abbreviated names on the foot), nine rosette-filled diamond fields on the nodus, and the donor’s inscription on the surrounding base frieze. The surrounding notched fields feature animal and plant motifs from the Insular Anglo-Saxon tradition, as well as braided ribbon and vine patterns, which are characteristic of art from 8th-century Upper Italy and the Irish Anglo-Saxon region. The inscription also shows an Insular influence in its palaeography and interlaced decorative elements. In contrast, the morphology of the vessel and its main decorative fields, the figurative images, follow the Byzantine-Continental or Italic-Ravenna tradition.

The Tassilo-Liutpirc Chalice. The silver-plated fields contrasted with the gold-plated notched surfaces. View of the 3D model with texture and colour differentiation. (Antje Cramer and Guido Heinz, Römisch-Germanisches Zentralmuseum Mainz)
Braided animal and vine motifs of Insular type from the cuppa of the Tassilo-Liutpirc Chalice, redrawn. Together, they represent the ancient motif of the Tree of Life, a symbol of Christ and paradise. (Römisch-Germanisches Zentralmuseum Mainz)

Tassilonian treasury art

Depiction of Christ in the Montpellier Psalter, fol. 2v (the so-called Tassilo Psalter), written and illuminated at Mondsee Abbey, before 788. The face, hand position, gold hollows for the nimbus and garment, as well as the accompanying letters, largely correspond to those on the chalice. (Public domain via Bibliotheque Interuniversitaire Montpellier, Ms. H409)

The Tassilo-Liutpirc Chalice shows very close similarities to works of the Tassilonian book illumination from the Salzburg region (e.g., the Montpellier Psalter from Mondsee Abbey) and to high-quality sacral goldsmith’s works (e.g., the Rupertus Cross from Bischofshofen, the older Lindau book cover, the Bursen reliquary from Enger, the pyxides from Fejø and Pettstadt, and the Petőháza travel chalice). It is one of the main works of the school of Duke Tassilo III. court,, which had its centre in the insular-influenced Salzburg region and encompassed not only book illumination and treasury art but also marble sculpturing and wall painting in sacral architecture. Among the latter, the marble sculpturing of the Abbey of St John at Müstair in the Münstertal (Graubünden) stands out. The involvement of Tassilo in the foundation of the abbey (around 775), as proposed by Herwig Wolfram, is further confirmed by a broad range of insular motifs, including large braided animals and tendrils with triskele and lion-head designs, which are characteristic of Tassilonian court art from Salzburg (e.g. the Tassilo-Liutpirc Chalice, Rupertus cross, older Lindau book cover). Parallel works from the Frauenchiemsee Monastery that share identical motifs and materials also support this. In addition to the Italic-insular mixture of styles and motifs, Tassilonian treasury art is characterised by its use of a plethora of colours and complex goldsmithing techniques. Insular animal and plant motifs, similar to those found on the Tassilo-Liutpirc Chalice, are also commonly seen in secular metalwork, such as weapons and riding equipment, as well as in jewellery pieces uncovered through archaeological finds. They were found not only in the area of the Bavarian duchy, but primarily in large parts of the Carolingian sphere of influence, including the Rhineland, the North Sea coastal zone, northern France, Old Saxony, and eastern Franconia. These finds from Frankish territories can be partly explained by the requisitioning of Tassilo's treasures and the deportations related to his overthrow in 788.

Iconographic programme

The Tassilo-Liutpirc Chalice. Development of the textured 3D model, separated into four zones to minimise distortion. (Antje Cramer and Guido Heinz, Römisch-Germanisches Zentralmuseum Mainz)

In cross-section, the chalice is constructed strictly geometrically from segments of a circle. Its horizontal and vertical centre lies at the joint between the cuppa and the nodus foot. The multi-part framework covering the chalice connects the cuppa, nodus, and foot into a unified pictorial structure. The oval silver-plated medallions, five on the cuppa and four on the foot, emerge from the gilded notched surfaces reminiscent of window-like openings. Each medallion is framed by braided ribbon and vine motifs, which encircle the cuppa and foot in a manner resembling a chain hinge. Christ, holding a codex in his left hand (a misunderstanding by the artisan), and his right hand raised in a gesture of speaking or blessing, is accompanied by architectural elements and the apocalyptic letters A and Ω. Together with the four Evangelists, this forms a Maiestas Domini composition on the cuppa, similar to those found in early Christian apse programs (e.g., S. Pudenziana in Rome, around 420; S. Apollinare in Classe in Ravenna, mid-6th century). The four half-figures on the foot, accompanied by abbreviated names, are only partially identified definitively (IB: Johannes Baptista; MT: Maria Theotokos (Mother of God); TM and PT might represent local saints. Also noteworthy are the nine silver-plated fields (each possibly with seven bread symbols?) in the lozenge frieze on the nodus, embedded in a total of 27 (+ 1) notched fields with animal-plant braid knot motifs, and marked by 36 colourful stone inlays. This nodus frieze separates the frieze of the cuppa from that of the foot.

Since early Christian times, liturgical objects have often been designed as miniature representations of salvific-historical architectures (e.g., Solomon's Temple, the Holy Sepulchre, the New Jerusalem, the Fountain of Life), which reflect their purpose. This trend, which was also popular in the 8th and 9th centuries, can similarly be applied to the Tassilo-Liutpirc Chalice, much like the decorated liturgical pyxids of the Tassilonian court school. It depicts a likely two-story circular structure of a heavenly nature, the heavenly city, constructed from "paradisiacal building material": the Tree of Life-animal-plant ornament of insular origin. In this New Jerusalem from the Book of Revelation, as in the grand apocalyptic apse paintings, Christ and the four Evangelists are present, along with Mary, John the Baptist, and two other saints. The character of the Heavenly City is also symbolised by the stepped edge frieze of the cuppa, featuring pointed gables and arcade fields. In late antique and early medieval art, these elements serve as a pictorial cipher for cityscapes, particularly those of the Heavenly Jerusalem. The motif of the medallion chains that encircle the cuppa and base refers to Solomon's Temple (1 Kings 7:24), which was a variation of the Heavenly City motif. It was regarded as an Old Testament "praefiguratio" of Christ and the Church and became a model for significant court churches.

At the bottom, the chalice rests on an inscription frieze featuring 36 letters with gold indentations. Contrasting silver-plated and nielloed, gemstone-like spaces enhance the visual impact. With the donor's inscription + TASSILO DVX FORTIS + LIVTPIRC VIRGA REGALIS, the ducal couple present themselves solemnly, formally, and confidently as the foundation of this chalice, the allegorical representation of the Heavenly City — thereby hoping for the attainment of the Kingdom of Heaven.

The numbers 6, 9, 10, and 36, which recur several times in the pictorial decoration, are likely to have a symbolic numerical significance.

Function

Based on its iconography and size, and in comparison with early medieval chalices preserved from Eastern to Western Europe, the Tassilo-Liutpirc Chalice must be regarded as a liturgical chalice for the distribution of communion.. The repeatedly proposed idea of a wedding chalice, created for the occasion of Tassilo's marriage to Liutpirc in 763/764, can be ruled out. It was most likely part of a liturgical set that also included a paten, pyx, and other liturgical items. The donation was probably made in order to endow an important (monastic) church to which the duke and duchess felt deeply connected.

Historical significance

The overthrow of Tassilo in 788 by his cousin Charlemagne was accompanied by the deportation of the entire ducal family, their imprisonment in North Franconian monasteries, the requisitioning of the state treasure, and a widespread damnatio memoriae of the long and glorious king-like reign of the Bavarian prince (748/53–788). This reign included numerous monastery foundations, church constructions, flourishing manuscript production, the establishment of a court school in the fields of treasury art and architecture as well as book illumination, an active church and missionary policy, systematic territorial expansion, and a largely peaceful foreign policy. Liutpirc, daughter of the Lombard king Desiderius (who, along with his family, had suffered the same fate as Tassilo in 774), played an active role alongside the duke — likely not only in monastery politics (Frauenchiemsee) — as evidenced by the donor’s inscription on the Kremsmünster Chalice. The proud and pious, documentary-style title elevates the chalice to a "state monument" (Victor H. Elbern 1989) of early Bavarian-Austrian history. It holds a key position in the treasury art of the second half of the 8th century.

It is not certain from the sources whether the chalice was commissioned and donated in connection with the founding of Kremsmünster in 777. Its inexpensive material (gilded, partially silver-plated copper) is shared with the monumental Rupertus Cross from Bischofshofen, likely an early work of the Tassilonian court school. The chalice alludes to Tassilo's victory over the Carantanians in 772 and their subsequent Christianisation, and it was probably intended for St Rupert's Cathedral in Salzburg, consecrated by Virgil in 774, which was said to be the largest church building north of the Alps.The chalice, as part of a liturgical ensemble, may have been a donation from the ducal couple to the cathedral. The monumental cross and chalice may have been moved to the border monasteries of Bischofshofen and Kremsmünster in 788, prior to the requisitioning of the treasure.

References

Volker Bierbrauer, Liturgische Gerätschaften aus Baiern und seinen Nachbarregionen in Spätantike und frühem Mittelalter, in: Die Bajuwaren. Von Severin bis Tassilo 488-788, Ausstellungskatlog Rosenheim-Mattsee 1988, 328-341.
Franz Bock, Der Tassilokelch nebst Leuchter zu Kremsmünster, in: Mittheilungen der k. k. Central-Kommission zur Erforschung und Erhaltung der Baudenkmale 2 (Wien 1857), 247–248.
Franz Bock/Winfried Zimmermann, Frühkarolingische Kirchengeräthe im Stifte Kremsmünster, in: Mittheilungen der k. k. Central-Kommission zur Erforschung und Erhaltung der Baudenkmale 4 (Wien 1859), 6–13.
Victor H. Elbern, Der eucharistische Kelch im frühen Mittelalter, in: Zeitschrift des deutschen Vereins für Kunstwissenschaft 17 (1963), 1-76, 117–188.
Victor H. Elbern, Zwischen England und Oberitalien. Die sog. insulare Kunstprovinz in Salzburg, in: Jahres- und Tagungsbericht der Görres-Gesellschaft 1989, 96–111.
Günther Haseloff, Der Tassilokelch (Münchner Beiträge zur Vor- und Frühgeschichte 1), München 1951.
Günther Haseloff, Zum Stand der Forschung über den Tassilokelch, in: Heidelinde Jung/Franz C. Lipp (Hg.), Baiernzeit in Oberösterreich. Von Severin zu Tassilo. Das Land zwischen Inn und Enns vom Ausgang der Antike bis zum Ende des 8. Jahrhunderts, Linz 3. Auflage 1977, 221–236.
Kurt Holter, Kunstschätze der Gründungszeit, in: Die Anfänge des Klosters Kremsmünster, Linz 1978, 111–143, hier: 110–116.
Marian Pachmayr, Historico-chronologica series abbatum et religiosorum monasterii Cremifanensis, Steyr 1777.
Katrin Roth-Rubi, in Zusammenarbeit mit Hans Rudolf Sennhauser, Die frühe Marmorskulptur aus dem Kloster St. Johann in Müstair (Acta Müstair 5,1), Ostfildern 2015.
Pankraz Stollenmayer, Der Tassilokelch, in: Festschrift zum 400-jährigen Bestande des öffentlichen Obergymnasiums der Benediktiner zu Kremsmünster, Wels 1949, 1–109.
Egon Wamers, Pyxides imaginatae. Zur Ikonographie und Funktion karolingischer Silberbecher, in: Germania 69 (1991), 97-152.
Egon Wamers, Tassilo III. von Baiern oder Karl der Große? Zur Ikonographie und Programmatik des sogenannten Tassilokelch-Stils, in: Hans Rudolf Sennhauser (Hg.), Wandel und Konstanz zwischen Bodensee und Lombardei zur Zeit Karls des Grossen (Acta Müstair 3), Zürich 2013, 427–448.
Egon Wamers (Hg.) mit Beiträgen von Matthias Becher, Anja Cramer, Rüdiger Fuchs, Reinhard Gratz, Susanne Greiff, Martina Hartmann, Sonngard Hartmann, Wilfried Hartmann, Guido Heinz, Elisabeth Krebs, Stephan Patscher, Alexandra Pesch, P. Altman Pötsch, Renate Prochno-Schinkel, Katrin Roth-Rubi, Michael Ryan, Anton Scharer, Florian Ströbele, Egon Wamers, Herwig Wolfram, Der Tassilo-Liutpirc-Kelch im Stift Kremsmünster. Geschichte, Archäologie, Kunst (Schriften des Archäologischen Museums Frankfurt 32), Regensburg 2019.
Herwig Wolfram, Expansion und Integration. Rätien und andere Randgebiete des Karolingerreiches im Vergleich, in: H. R. Sennhauser (Hg.), Wandel und Konstanz zwischen Bodensee und Lombardei zur Zeit Karls des Grossen. Kloster St. Johann in Müstair und Churrätien (Acta Müstair, Kloster St. Johann, 3), Zürich 2013, 251–260.
Ernst Heinrich Zimmermann/Alois Riegl, Die spätrömische Kunstindustrie nach den Funden in Österreich-Ungarn. 2. Band: Das Kunstgewerbe des frühen Mittelalters auf der Grundlage des nachgelassenen Materials von Alois Riegel, Wien 1923.
Katja Žvanut, The Tassilo Chalice Style: problems of interpretation and definition, in: Hortus artium medievalium 8 (2002), 273–288.

Further Research

Cite

Egon Wamers, Tassilo-Liutpirc Chalice, published 30 October 2020, English version published 28 February 2025; in: Historisches Lexikon Bayerns, URL: <https://www.historisches-lexikon-bayerns.de/Lexikon/EN:Tassilo-Liutpirc_Chalice> (17.3.2025)

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