Kelk met voorstellingen van scenes uit het leven van Christus en apostelen uit de kathedraal van Tours, opgesteld tijdens de Exposition Rétrospective van 1873 in Tours, Frankrijk 1873

Gabriel Blaise captured this photograph of a chalice from Tours Cathedral during the Exposition Rétrospective of 1873. The photograph isolates the chalice against a muted backdrop, focusing our attention on its form and intricate details. The chalice is structured in distinct, horizontal layers, each richly ornamented. The base supports a stem, which leads to a cup, each section elaborately decorated with scenes from the life of Christ and the Apostles. Blaise's composition emphasizes the verticality of the chalice, accentuating its symbolic reach toward the heavens, while the monochrome palette invites a study of texture and form. Considered through a semiotic lens, the chalice is a vessel, a signifier of ritual and communion. The meticulous detail and arrangement of scenes act as visual texts, encoding religious narratives and moral teachings. The photograph invites viewers to decode these signs, and engage with the chalice not only as an object of devotion, but also as a complex interplay of cultural and spiritual meanings.