CUP - CHALICE
|
Vicars The vicarius
was a high official appointed by the Emperor and accountable only to him.
The position was held by equites who were given the rank of perfectissimus (before the egregii and after the eminentissimi). Thus, in rank, the vicars
were inferior to the governors of the senatorial provinces (the consulares), although they had to
exercise political authority over them. René Rémond suggests that this paradox was
resolved by promoting vicars whose dioceses contained provinces with
senatorial governors to the rank of clarissimus, but there is no evidence for
this. Initially,
the powers of the vicars were considerable: they controlled and monitored the
governors (aside from the proconsuls who governed Asia and Africa),
administered the collection of taxes, intervened in military affairs in order
to fortify the borders, and judged appeals. They were not under the control
of the Praetorian Prefect, but only to the Emperor himself. Appeals of their
legal decisions went straight to the emperor. The vicars had no real military role and
had no troops under their command, which was a significant novelty compared
to the Augustan provincial system. This was intended to separate military and
civilian power and thus prevent rebellions and civil wars. History Originally,
in ancient Rome, this office was equivalent to the later English "vice-" (as in "deputy"), used as
part of the title of various officials. Each vicarius was assigned to a
specific superior official, after whom his full title was generally completed
by a genitive (e.g. vicarius praetoris).
At a low level of society, the slave of a slave, possibly hired out to raise
money to buy manumission, was a servus
vicarius. Later, in
the 290s, the Emperor Diocletian carried out a series of administrative
reforms, ushering in the period of the Dominate. These reforms also saw the
number of Roman provinces increased, and the creation of a new administrative
level, the diocese. The dioceses, initially twelve, grouped several
provinces, each with its own governor. The dioceses were headed by a vicarius, or, more properly, by a vices
agens praefecti praetorio ("deputy of the praetorian
prefect:). An
exception was the Diocese of the East, which was headed by a comes
("count"). In 370 or 381 Egypt and Cyrenaica were detached from the
Diocese of the East and made a diocese under an official called the Augustal
Prefect. In the
eastern parts of the Empire, dominated by Greek language and common use of
Greek terminology, vicarius was
called exarch. According
to the Notitia
dignitatum (an
early 5th century imperial chancery document), the vicarius had the rank of vir
spectabilis;
the staff of a vicarius, his officium,
was rather similar to a gubernatorial officium.
Foto H.d.V. 2013 Staff of the deputy of the praetorian
prefect Mold stamp for
decorative bricks (mirror image) Visigotic, 7th cent. Cordoba, Archaeological Museum. For example,
in the diocese of Hispania, his staff included: The princeps (i.e. chief of staff) was chosen
from among the senior agentes in rebus (couriers or special
investigators, 'men of affairs,' from the ministry of the interior headed by
the master of the offices), from the salaried class of the ducenarii (those
earning 200,000 sesterces a year - the highest regular pay
grade in the Roman civil service; the highest officials, governors and above,
were not civil service). A cornicularius ("chief of staff"). Two numerarii
(chief accountants). A commentariensis ("keeper of the commentary", the
official diary). An adiutor
(adjutant; literally "helper", an assistant). An ab actis
("acts-keeper", archivist). A cura epistolarum ("curator of correspondence"). An unnamed number of subadiuvae
("deputy assistants"). Various exceptores
(lower clerks). Singulares et reliquum officium (various menial staff). The
symbol of a pre-christian vicarius was a cup. The cup,
having the shape of a small conical vessel held in hand, is of very ancient
origin. It is held in hand by the head
of state when presenting himself to the ruler and symbolizes the watering
of the territory symbolized by a palmtree. Such scenes are for example on
Babylonian 16th century BC memorial stones. Through
the ages the cup or chalice is the badge of office of a keeper in general, be
it a of a state or any service. As
such it is an attribute of a head of state, a governor, a civil servant, a
vicar etc. A cup
supported by any other emblems symbolizing a martial or civil rank is a
heraldic emblem of the service of an official performing the upkeeping. |
||
|
A chalice
is the symbol of a servant who performs maintenance services. As a symbol it
was calibrated in Mesopotamia when monuments were erected on which a seated
monarch is served by an official who waters palmtrees with a chalice. This act
also reflects the relationship between prince and regent, whereby the prince
represents the owner of the empire who has religious responsibility for the
empire and the regent maintains the empire. This is a relationship that has
been maintained in many traditional societies down to modern times. |
||
|
Foto H.d.V. VI.’96 Mesopotamian memorial stone Offering a libation before a
seated ruler. Limestone, beginning of the 2nd milennium B.C. As a war booty transported
to Susa in the 12th century B.C. Excavations of J. De Morgan
(Sb7) Musée du Louvre, Paris On the left side a
bearded man in a long robe brings a libation to a date palm (Phoenix dactylifera - Arecaceae).
Herodotus writes about the date palm: “Date palms grow everywhere [in
Babylon] and are most of the time of the fruit-bearing kind, and the fruits
provide them [the Babylonians] of food, whine and honey” On the right side
there is an another bearded man,
seated on a throne with a side-panel in the shape of a city- or palace wall.
He wears a long dress of flounces one over the other. On his head he wears a
special crown which appeared from the 1st dynasty of Ur (2563-2387) until the
1st dynasty of Babylon (1894-1595). In his right hand he keeps a ring-and-
staff, a badge of honour appearing in Mesopotamia from the 3rd until the 1st
millennium BC . Above the representation is a sun with eight points and eight
bundles of rays of the shape that has to be associated with Akkad. The scene on the stone can be interpreted in
different ways. It is of course possible like in the Louvre: Scène de libation devant un dieu trônant (Libation
sene before a seated God). Other interpretations are also possible:
In the
nexte two examples the sovereign is
missimg but is replaced by the regent to which services are offered. |
||
|
Babylonian Cilinder seal. Beginning 2nd millenium BC Boston (Ph. Museum) Offer
of goat. Seated ruler with chalice. Emblem of Babylon |
||
|
Foto H.d.V. ‘98 Stele depicting a
memorial to the dead 8. th cent.
B.C. Basalt. Pergamonmuseum, Berlin A servant
with knife and fan in hand stands in front of the deceased prince, holding a
lotus and a chalice. There are sacrificial dishes on the table. In chief the
winged sun of the Hittite Empire. The
monument was found in connection with an underground burial chamber in Sam’al
/ Zincirli (va 2995) In
this the chalice may be interpreted as
the badge of office of the seated prince |
||
|
Hemidracma. 338-315 a.C. BEOCIA, ORCHOMENOS. Obv. : Boeotian shield. Rev.:
Amphora between B-O, Weight: 2,62 g. AR. |
||
|
Kantharos of Stevensweert Stevensweert, end 1st cent - mid 1st cent. AD .Silver, partly gilded, H. 10,5 cm. Museum Valkhof, Nijmegen Kantharos
is the greek name for a goblet with two large handles. These are lacking on
this silver sample which has been found in 1943 or shorly before at gravel
digging along the river Meuse, north of Stevensweert. The lavish decorations
of this goblet is thoroughly about the god Bacchus, who often is represented
himself with a kantharos in his
hands. |
||
|
Jewish shekel, 66-70 AD With a goblet or chalice on the obverse |
||
|
The Castellans In the
hierarchical ordering of the Notitia text
and imagery the castrensis, or
castellan, is the first dignitary with the rank of spectabilis, notable, the second grade of nobility, after illustris. The castrensis, a kind of
majordomo of the palace, is the only eunuch whose office and duties are
fully described in the Notitia. The castrensis,
like other palatine eunuchs, was almost always an imported barbarian slave,
usually from Persia or Armenia. The eunuchs, in control as they were of
informal access to the imperial family, enjoyed considerable power. Fortunes
were spent bribing them in order to secure access to or the good favor of the
emperor. The staff
of the castrensis consisted of two
accountants, one for the expenses of the emperor and one for the empress or
empresses; and assistant; and a secretary with a bureau of clerks. The castrensis also was directly
responsible for the pages, pædagogia;
the imperial household servants, ministeriales
domini and the palace custodians, curæ
palatiorum. The pages were those young boys who were taught the arts and
graces of court service and attended the emperor at the table, the bath and
on the chase. The household servants included the cooks, bakers, carvers,
waiters, cup-bearers and tasters. But it is the palace custodians whose
duties are directly alluded to in the insignia: The custodians had charge of
the banquet halls; they were responsible for their decoration, for the
installation of the imperial tables, and for setting out the gold and silver
goblets and eating vessels. It is these tables and vessels which constitute
the insignia of the castellans in the East and the West.
West. Notitia Dignitatum, fol. 208v. Sometimes
adorned with mosaic, these claw-footed tables with three legs were used in
late antique Rome where they had lomg since been adopted from the Greeks. We have
examples of such tables and drinking vessels in late antique works such as
the Ambrosian Iliad (Milan. Ambrosian Library, Cod. F. 205 Inf) and the
Vergilius Romanus (Vatican Cod. lat. 3867; fig 123). The insigne in the West
displays just the round-top type, whereas the insigne in the East includes
the semi-circular late antique “signa” table seen, for example, in the
Rossano Gospels in the Duomo di Rossano. Some of the large vases may be
lustral vessels for hand-washing, and the tables not laden with bread or wine
may be their stands. Just such tables and vessels can be seen on Latin
sarcophagi of the 4th century in the scenes of Pilate washing his hands. So
again we have instances in the Notitia of the direct relationship between
text and illustration as well as the accurate reflection of late antique
palatine iconograpgy. Since the
castellan is not among the illustres
but is accorded the rank of spectabilis,
something other than the codicillar diptych leaf appears here on the blue
cloth-covered table. The object in the East is vaguely articulated: it is
rectangular and divided vertically into three unequal sections. In the West,
however, the motif is depicted far more distinctly, especially in the MII and
Paris versions. The left-most subdivision represents a book with an
abbreviated inscription on its cover. The central part has the vertical lines
suggestive of the fore edge of a codex. The right-most division is vague, but
a glance at more fully articulated representations of these items
demonstrates that it is a misunderstood scroll. The book with the inscription
is the Liber Mandatorum or Book of
Mandates spelling out the dignitary’s duties and giving imperial
instructions. These books were sent out to various officials in the realm and
contained advice on how to govern. Late antique texts refer to the Book of
Mandates in close connection with the codicilli
or official document of appointment awarded to each office-holder. Just
as a codicillar diptych was granted to higher dignitaris, illustres, so the lower dignitaries, spectabiles, were given their codicils
of appointment in the form of an
epistola or a scroll (Cod. Theod. VI, 22, 5). It is this object, the codicilli in the form of a scroll,
that appears near or attached directly to the Book of Mandates in their
insignia (figs. 25, 27, 67, 68). Thus though its initial appearance here is
indistinct, in the archetype the object contiguous to the Book of Mandates in
the insignia of the castellans was the codicilli
in the form of a scroll. The Carolingian copyist puzzling over the new form
on the table neglected to read it or represent it intelligibly. By the time
the copyist executed that insigne in the West, however, he reecognized the
left part of the object as a book and represented it accurately. The Book
of mandates in the insigne of the castellan in the West appears with an
abbreviated inscription on it. This inscription occurs throughout the Notitia insignia on the Books of
mandates of those officials who rank as spectabiles.
(The lower-ranking clarissimi have
a different inscription on their Books.) The abbreviated inscription is: FL INTALL COMORD
PR. which can be read as “FLOREAS/INTER/ALECTOS/COMITES/ORDINIS/PRIMI” or “Mayst thou prosper amongst
the cvhosen counts of the first rank.” These words then provide a kind of
salutation to the newly appointed official. Not only
the iconography of this insigne has corollaries in late antique art; the
manner in which these objects are depicted likewise finds parallels in other
late antique works. The objects are presented against a neutral background
and appear to be floating on the spaceless page; the sizes of the various
objects are completely arbitrary. The tables, furthermore, are presented
simultaneously from two different points of view at once - above and straight
on. That this mode of representing the tables was authentic to the late
antique archetype can be corroborated by a glance at such tables represented
in other late antique works: for instance, the small table in the lower part
of the Probianus diptych (fig. 106); or the table in the illustration for the
month of December in the Vatican copy of the Calendar of 354 where a
three-legged table is shown with its top elevated in precisely the same
manner. This stylistic element - a bifocally presented obeject - repeats
itself throughout the Notitia. Thus
even though the iconographic details of the Book of Mandates and epistola
have been garbled in the insigne of the East, there is no doubt that the
basic page layout, as well as the form of the individual objects,
authentically reflects the late antique archetype of the insignia of the
castellans. (Berger, pp. 80-84) Christian In Roman
Catholicism, Eastern Orthodoxy, Oriental Orthodoxy, Anglicanism, Lutheranism
and some other Christian denominations, a chalice is a standing cup used to
hold sacramental wine during the Eucharist (also called the Lord’s Supper or
Holy Communion). Chalices are often made of precious metal, and they are
sometimes richly enamelled and jewelled. The gold goblet was symbolic for
family and tradition. The
ancient Roman calix was a drinking
vessel consisting of a bowl fixed atop a stand, and was in common use at
banquets. Chalices have been used since the early church. Because of Jesus'
command to his disciples to "Do this in remembrance of me." (Luke
22:19), and Paul's account of the Eucharistic rite in 1 Corinthians 11:24-25,
the celebration of the Eucharist became central to Christian liturgy.
Naturally, the vessels used in this important act of worship were highly decorated
and treated with great respect. A number of early examples of chalices have a
large bowl and two handles. Over time, the size of the bowl diminished and
the base became larger for better stability. Over time, official church
regulations dictated the construction, blessing, and treatment of chalices.
Some religious traditions still require that the chalice, at least on the
inside of the cup, be made of gold. In
Western Christianity, chalices will often have a pommel or node where the
stem meets the cup to make the elevation easier. In Roman Catholicism,
chalices tend to be tulip-shaped, and the cups are quite narrow. Roman
Catholic priests will often receive chalices from members of their families
when first ordained. In
Eastern Christianity (Oriental Orthodox, Eastern Orthodox and Eastern
Catholic churches), chalices will often have icons enameled or engraved on
them, as well as a cross. In Orthodoxy and Eastern Catholicism, all
communicants receive both the Body of Christ and the Blood of Christ. To
accomplish this, a portion of the Lamb (Host) is placed in the chalice, and
then the faithful receive Communion on a spoon. For this reason, eastern
chalices tend to have larger, rounded cups. In the Russian Orthodox Church,
the faithful will often kiss the "foot" (base) of the chalice after
receiving Holy Communion. In other traditions, they will kiss the cup.
Although Orthodox monks are not permitted to hold personal possessions, the
canons permit a hieromonk (i.e., a monk who has been ordained to the
priesthood) to keep a chalice and other vessels necessary to celebrate the
Divine Liturgy. In the
early and medieval church, when a deacon was ordained, he would be handed a
chalice during the service as a sign of his ministry. Early written accounts
of the ordination of deaconesses also reflect this practice. In the West the
deacon carries the chalice to the altar at the offertory; in the East, the
priest carries the chalice and the deacon carries the paten (diskos). Only wine, water and a portion of the Host are permitted
to be placed in the chalice, and it may not be used for any profane purpose. The
chalice is considered to be one of the most sacred vessels in Christian
liturgical worship, and it is often blessed before use. In the Roman Catholic
Church, and some Anglo-Catholic churches, it was the custom for a chalice to
be consecrated by being anointed with chrism, and this consecration could
only be performed by a bishop or abbot (only for use within his own
monastery). Among the Eastern Churches there are varying practices regarding
blessing. In some traditions the very act of celebrating the Sacred Mysteries
(Sacrament) is the only blessing necessary; in others, there is a special
rite of blessing. In some Eastern traditions this blessing may be done only
by a bishop, in some it may be done by a priest. In any case, in both the
East and the West, once a chalice has been blessed, it may only be touched by
an ordained member of the higher clergy (bishop, priest or deacon). In the
Russian Orthodox Church a subdeacon is permitted to touch the holy vessels,
but only if they are wrapped in cloth. |
||
|
4th-5th cent. mosaic with chalice in the Euphrasian
basilica, Porec, Croatia. |
||
|
Foto H.d.V. 2017 Mosaic with chalice, 5th-6th century From Bordeaux, France Musée d’Aquitaine, Bordeaux In the
5th-6th century Bordeaux was a part of the Visigothic Kingdom. |
||
|
About the vase of Soissons 27. After these events Childeric died and his
son Clovis reigned in his stead. In the fifth year of his reign (487)
Siagrius, king of the Romans, son of Egidius, had his seat in the city of
Soissons which Egidius, who has been mentioned before, once held. And Clovis
came against him with Ragnachar, his kinsman, because he used to possess the
kingdom, and demanded that they make ready a battlefield. And Siagrius did
not delay nor was he afraid to resist. And so they fought against each other
and Siagrius, seeing his army crushed, turned his back and fled swiftly to
king Alaric at Toulouse. And Clovis sent to Alaric to send him back,
otherwise he was to know that Clovis would make war on him for his refusal.
And Alaric was afraid that he would incur the anger of the Franks on account
of Siagrius, seeing it is the fashion of the Goths to be terrified, and he
surrendered him in chains to Clovis' envoys. And Clovis took him and gave
orders to put him under guard, and when he had got his kingdom he directed
that he be executed secretly.; At that time many churches were despoiled by
Clovis' army, since he was as yet involved in heathen error. Now the army had
taken from a certain church a vase of wonderful size and beauty, along with
the remainder of the utensils for the service of the church. And the bishop of
the church sent messengers to the king asking that the vase at least be
returned, if he could not get back any more of the sacred dishes. On hearing
this the king said to the messenger: "Follow us as far as Soissons,
because all that has been taken is to be divided there and when the lot
assigns me that dish I will do what the father [note: papa. The word was used in the early Middle Ages in unrestricted,
informal sense, and applied widely to bishops. Cf. Du Cange, Glossariam]
asks." Then when he came to Soissons and all the booty was set in their
midst, the king said: “I ask of you, brave warriors, not to refuse to grant
me in addition to my share, yonder dish,” that is, he was speaking of the
vase just mentioned. In answer to the speech of the king those of more sense
replied: “Glorious king, all that we see is yours, and we ourselves are
subject to your rule. Now do what seems wellpleasing to you; for no one is
able to resist your power.” When they said this a foolish, envious and
excitable fellow lifted his battleax and struck the vase, and cried in a
loud voice: “You shall get nothing
here except what the lot fairly bestows on you.” At this all were stupefied,
but the king endured the insult with the gentleness of patience, and taking
the vase he handed it over to the messenger of the church, nursing the wound
deep in his heart. And at the end of the year he ordered the whole army to
come with their equipment of armor, to show the brightness of their arms on
the field of March. And when he was reviewing them all carefully, he came to
the man who struck the vase, and said to him “No one has brought armor so
carelessly kept as you; for neither your spear nor sword nor ax is in
serviceable condition.” And seizing his ax he cast it to the earth, and when
the other had bent over somewhat to pick it up, the king raised his hands and
drove his own ax into the man's head. “This,” said he, “is what you did at
Soissons to the vase.” Upon the death of this man, he ordered the rest to
depart, raising great dread of himself by this action./ He made many wars and
gained many victories. In the tenth year of his reign he made war on the
Thuringi and brought them under his dominion. [1] If we
accept that a chalice/goblet was the badge of an important official of the
court we may understand why Clovis made such a problem of its ownership. |
||
|
The Treasure
of Gourdon (Trésor de Gourdon), unearthed near Gourdon,
Saône-et-Loire, in 1845, is a hoard of gold, the objects dating to the end of
the fifth or beginning of the sixth century, which was secreted soon after
524. When it was found, the hoard comprised a chalice and a rectangular
paten, that were similarly applied with garnets and turquoises in cloisonné
compartments, together with about a hundred gold coins dating from the reigns
of Byzantine emperors Leo I (457–474) through that of Justin I
(518–527). The Merovingian king Clovis I converted to Christianity in 496;
the chalice and paten might be called early Merovingian or late Gallo-Roman. Æ See: Kingdom of Burgundy The treasure is
preserved in the Cabinet des Médailles, Paris, a department of the
Bibliothèque Nationale |
||
|
Liturgical chalice, signed by the goldsmith, St.
Eligius (588-660), formerly in the convent of Chelles (France). Bowl, stem
and foot are decorated with the cloisonné technique |
||
|
Empress Anastasia with a chalice On a mosaic in
the San Vitale in Ravenna, 580 ca |
||
|
Angel with cup Sassanian, Taq i Bustan, 591-628 |
||
|
Chalice Bronze. H. 24 cm, Æ
17cm. Boul Gerede. Byzantine, 6th century Istanbul
Archaeological Museum 7852 (Schatten uit
Turkije, 254) |
||
|
Ardagh chalice, 750ca Cup and bottom
decorated with square crosses, symbols of administrative authority |
||
|
The Tassilo Chalice. Presented by
Tassilo and his wife Liutperga in 777 to the Monastery of Kremsmünster, where it is still
preserved |
||
|
Stuttgarter
Psalter (820-830) Württembergische Landesbibliothek Stuttgart, Bibl.
fol. 23 |
||
|
Bottle of Charlemagne, Burgundy, 9th
cent. Treasury of St.
Maurice Abbey (Wallis, C.H.) This bottle has more the shape of the bottle
as in the Notitia Dignitatum and may have been the badge of the Castellan of Burgundy. On the side is
an achievement of a square cross supported by two griffins (badge of a
praetor). |
||
|
Gauzelinus chalice, 950 |
||
|
Foto H.d.V. 2017 Two
bishops of Autun Without crozier
and mitre, the left one with crown Musée Lapidaire Autun
Foto H.d.V. 2017 Gravestone with chalice Beginning 15th cent.? Musée Lapidaire
Autun |
||
|
Holy Grail |
||
|
In this context we may point at the legend of
the Holy Grail,
apparently the symbol of (early) Christian administrative authority, given to
Jozef of Arimathea and only available for a knight of undisputed christian
reputation. The Holy
Grail is a dish, plate, stone, or cup that is part of an important theme
of Arthurian literature. A grail, wondrous but not explicitly holy, first
appears in Perceval le Gallois, an
unfinished romance by Chrétien de Troyes: it is a processional
salver used to serve at a feast. Chrétien's story attracted many continuators,
translators and interpreters in the later 12th and early 13th centuries,
including Wolfram von Eschenbach, who makes the
grail a great precious stone that fell from the sky. The Grail legend became
interwoven with legends of the Holy
Chalice. The connection with Joseph of Arimathea and with vessels
associated with the Last Supper and crucifixion of Jesus, dates from Robert
de Boron's Joseph d'Arimathie (late 12th century) in which Joseph
receives the Grail from an apparition of Jesus and sends it with his
followers to Great Britain. Building upon this theme, later writers recounted
how Joseph used the Grail to catch Christ's blood while interring him and how
he founded a line of guardians to keep it safe in Britain. The legend may
combine Christian lore with a Celtic myth of a cauldron endowed with special
powers. |
||
|
St Bernward Chalice, 1390 Domschatz, Hildesheim |
||
|
1419-1436 |
||
|
The arms
of The Hussites |
||
|
Chalice and paten Spain (?), 15th cent. Gilded brass. Musée de Cluny Legate François-Achille Wasset,
1906. Cl. 14781 a & b |
||
|
Dornburger Abendmalskelch, 1562-‘70 Museum Jena |
||
|
In the muslim empires we have seen cups in
the hands of the Ummayad Caliphs and the Seljuq Sultans. The cup has
not escaped the attention of two most important scientists, even when they do
not label the cup as the symbol of administrative authority or any office. Nevertheless,
the Mamluk Empire for example, had a very extended bureaucracy and we may
assume that many officers of this bureaucracy had their own emblems. These
were not of the animal kind like the
in the Persian and Chinese systems. L.A.Mayer
writes: “When the
theory explaining the Mamluk blazon as a symbol of office was first advanced,
the cup was one of the cases quoted. There was more of intuition than of
knowledge in this suggestion, as the inscriptions accompanying the actual
examples did not contain any reference to the office of a cup-bearer, nor was
any one of the holders of these blazons called ‘cup-bearer’ in the extracts
quoted by the different Arab authors. [....] Each of the following holders of
simple blazons with a cup is styled ‘cup-bearer’ (saqi) in the
relevant inscriptions: [eight names] The
following is known to have been a cup-bearer: [six names] Of the
following I know nothing: [eleven names]”[2] And he
gives a collection of 52 composite
blazons with cups:
When we
accept that the cup was the symbol of administrative authority it follows that
these composite blazons represent the different administrative officers. For
example (in the Mamluk Empire):
If these
blazons were of administrative officers this would also explain the
occurrence of a pen-box (the emblem of a secretary) in so many of them. Of a
pen-box Mayer also gives some examples showing subtle differences:
|
||
|
Cups on
muslim cloth and earthenware and the like, collected by Yacoub Artin Pasha [4] |
||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
The Achievement of the
Office of the Palace The cup or bowl as the central piece of an
achievement is known for example from Roman France. It is also known from the
8th century Muslim Empire.
Bone comb, 1st century AD excavated at the
construction of the N-S Stadtbahn of Cologne. (2004-2011) Römisch Germanisches Museum,
Köln [5] Achievement of cup/chalice and griffins. In Roman
times the Praetorium in Colonia
Agrippina served as the residence and office of the governor of the province
of Germania Inferior, as well as
the administration building.[6] In his person, the governor
united the military superintendency over the Low Germanic army (Exercitus Germania Inferioris) and the
civilian supreme command over the province. His civilian authority included
both the judiciary as well as the executive and, in the regional context, the
legislative power. The governpr of a province was always a former Roman consul
as Legatus Augusti pro praetore
("emissary of the Emperor in the rank of a praetor"). He was only
subordinated to the Emperor. In order to accomplish his tasks, he controlled a large administrative
apparatus, a Cohort infantry, and
an Ala cavalry A The
large administrative body at his service was symbolized by an achievement
consisting of a cup or goblet, symbolizing administrative authority,
supported by two griffins symbolizing the rank of Praetor, together making “The
administration by the grace/support of the Praetor” (Praetorian vicariate). Such an achievement is on the comb excavated
at the digging of a tunnel for Chlodwigsplatz Station of the subway in
Cologne in the years 2004-’11.
Cup supported by two griffins, Mid 2nd century AD. Trier,
museum |
||
|
Achievement of peacocks and chalice, in base two
christograms Mould stamp for
decorative bricks, visigothic, 6th cent. Museum Cordoba One of
the palatine officers who was in the service of the Visigothic kings was
called Comes Scanciorum or
"Count of the Cup-bearers". The count headed the Scancia (singular scancium) which in English would be
called cellars or buttery and in French échansonnerie, which is a cognate to
the Latinized Gothic term used in Spain. The count would have poured the king's
wine or drink personally while the other cup-bearers served other
distinguished guests at the royal table. |
||
|
Cup between the symbol of armed authority and the
badges of a bishop Spanish, 500 ca. National Museum Sevilla This
would be the achievement of the diocesan vicariate |
||
|
Achievement of a chalice supported by peacocks Chapel near
Damascus Gate, Jeruzalem, 550 ca This
would be the achievement of the prefectorial vicariate |
||
|
Foto H.d.V. 2017 Achievement of a chalice supported by stags before
trees 500 AD ca Merovingian.
Museum, Sens Achievement of
the patriarchal vicariate of Sens The Merovingian
Administration Among the Merovingian officials the foremost
place was gradually taken by the Mayor
of the Palace, whose office was peculiar to the Merovingian courts but
was the successor of the roman Castellan. Landed proprietors were in the
habit of putting their various domains under the charge of majores, mayors; and a major domus,
placed over these various mayors, supervised all the estates, and all the
revenues from them were paid in to him. The Mayor of the Palace was at first the overseer of all the royal
estates, and was also charged with maintaining discipline in the royal
household. Being always in close relation with the king, he soon acquired
political functions. If the king was a minor, it was his duty as nutricius to watch over his
education. The dukes and counts, who came from time to time to the palace,
fell under his authority, and before long he began to send them orders when
they were in their administrative districts; and he acquired an influence in
their appointment. As the whole of the administration centred in the palace
he became in the end the head of the
administration. He presided over the royal court of justice and often
commanded the army. In the struggle of the great men against the royal house
one of the points for which they contended was the right to impose upon the
sovereign a mayor of the palace of their choice; and each division of Gaul
(Neustria, Burgundy, and Austrasia) desired to have its own mayor. We have
seen that a single family, descended from Arnulf and Pepin I, succeeded in
getting the office of Mayor of the Palace into their own hands and rendered
it hereditary. From 687-751, the Mayors of this family were the real rulers
of the Frankish kingdom, and in 751 it was strong enough to seize the crown. |
||
|
Tomb said to have been of St. Chalan, 623 ca with achievement of a chalice supported by
griffins On the cover an
achievement of a christogram supported by peacocks Musée municipal,
Bourges This achievement is
to be compared with the achievements from Colonia and Treves. It can be de
achievement of the metropolitan vicariate |
||
|
Sarcophage de Saint Leonien, St. Pierre, Vienne Chalice supported by two peacocks This woukd be the achievement of a
prefectorial vicariate |
||
|
Achievement of chalice and peacocks from the Oratory
of San Michele to Pusterla, 177´66 cm. Beginning
8th cent. Pavia, Museo Civico
Malaspina, |
||
|
Detail of the façade of the Caliphal residence of al-Walid II
(743-744) showing a cup supported by a griffin and a senmurw. Limestone. Mshatta,
Jordan. Museum für islamische Kunst.
Staatliche Museen zu Berlin. Inv.-Nr. I. 6163. This
would be the achievement of the vicariate of the prefect and caliph. |
||
|
Another one, from the same palace shows a cup
supported by two lions:
As the griffin and the lion were badges of military rank we may conclude that the
administrative departments were usually controlled by amirs of different
ranks This is the achievement of the ducal vicariate |
||
© Hubert de Vries 2020-10-05; Updated 2020-11-01
Heraldry of the World