Offering dish (quest dish) in brass – Late 16th century

Large quest or offering dish in embossed and stamped brass decorated in the center with a rosette or umbilicus surrounded by Gothic inscriptions, and on the edge with a fine ornamentation of friezes.
Originally, offering dishes were used to receive bread offerings from the faithful (then the collection of money) during Christian religious ceremonies.
However, the uses of these dishes are very diverse. Without religious decoration, they could be used to perform the washing of hands, or as a serving dish or ceremonial as reflectors of light.
Made by coppersmiths from the Middle Ages in Germany, in Nuremberg in particular, the production of offering dishes has continued through the centuries and has spread throughout Europe.

D : 47.5 cm

Germany (Nuremberg)
Late 16th century