Design for a Chalice

This architectural drawing presents a ceremonial vessel composed of stacked classical elements. A female figure forms the stem, her torso and drapery rendered with precise line work, while her head supports an ornate bowl decorated with shell motifs and foliate carving. The base features a recumbent lion, grounding the composition in heraldic tradition. The design employs measured geometric planes and ruled guidelines typical of 19th-century decorative arts draftsmanship. Such presentation drawings served as blueprints for craftsmen executing metalwork and sculptural commissions, establishing the formal vocabulary between designer and maker that shaped Victorian applied arts.