This is the only piece of royal
plate of the treasures of the kings of England and France that now
remains, and its history has been traced from the time it was made,
about the year 1380, to the present time. It was made by one of the
goldsmiths of the luxurious Duc de Berri, the brother of Charles V. of
France, no doubt to offer as a gift to the king, whose birthday was
St Agnes' day. It was, however, never presented, probably owing to the
death of Charles V. in 1380. The duc de Berri was not on friendly terms
with his nephew Charles VI., but on their being reconciled he presented
the young king with this cup. The troubles of his reign led to the
invasion of France by Henry V. of England, and the ultimate appointment
of his brother, John, duke of Bedford, as regent. The necessities of the
half-insane Charles doubtless caused this cup and other valuables to
pass into the possession of the regent in exchange for ready money, for
it appears in the duke of Bedford's will, under which it passed into the
treasury of Henry VI. There it remained and appears in all subsequent
royal inventories up to the time of James I. This monarch, whose motto
was "Beati pacifici," received with joy the embassy sent from Spain in
the year 1610 to conclude the first treaty of peace with England since
the Armada, and showered upon the envoy, Don Juan de Velasco, constable
of Castile, the most lavish and extravagant gifts. The constable, in
fact, was so impressed by the warmth of his reception that he printed an
account of his embassy, and from this work the main story of the cup has
eventually been traced. On his return to Spain the constable, a piously
disposed man, presented this cup, with many other valuable gifts, to the
convent of Santa Clara Medina de Pomar at Burgos, of which his sister
was Superior. Although it was a domestic vessel, a "hanap" in fact, the
constable elected that it should be consecrated and made use of as a
chalice at great festivals. And so it continued to be used from the
early years of the 17th century until about the year 1882, when the
convent having fallen upon evil times, it was decided to sell this
precious relic. A priest from the Argentine being at the time in Burgos,
it was confided to him to sell in Paris, and he deposited the sum of
L100 by way of security. This was all that the unfortunate nuns at
Burgos ever received in return for their chalice, for they never saw the
priest again. He took the cup to Pari