Monstrance

Discussion

FROM THE ART INSTITUTE OF CHICAGO’S CATALOG

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.

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