Description:
This small silver piece, measuring just over six inches, exemplifies the aesthetic refinement and artisanal mastery of the silversmiths in Caracas, Venezuela, during the second half of the eighteenth century. Attributed to Domingo Tomás Núñez (1735–1801), this sacrarium is a miniature version of the larger silver sacraria used in the city's principal temples. Its portable design allowed for the delivery of communion to those unable to attend church. In such cases, the priest, in a solemn procession, would carry the sacrarium, suspended from his neck by a silver chain, to the location where communion was to be administered. The piece is entirely adorned with complex embossed rocaille decoration, characteristic of the Rococo style. This style remained popular in Caracas until the last decade of the eighteenth century, significantly later than in other Spanish territories in America, where stylistic preferences had already shifted towards classical forms with Greco-Roman inspiration.