The Agate Bowl

The Agate Bowl is a bowl of agate, probably made in Constantinople, 4th century.Its diameter is 58 to 58.5 cm, span including handles 76 cm. The agate bowl was designated as "the best and most important piece in the treasury" during the 17th century. Cut from a single, massive block of hardstone, it is the largest gemmoglyptic (carved-stone) bowl in the world. The technical achievement of the gem cutter is incredible. The form of the bowl and the handles carved out of the stone look as though they were moulded out of pliable wax, although agate is harder than steel. From the 17th to the 20th century various descriptions informed of a mysterious inscription, the name of Christ in Greek letters. It is not engraved or painted, but appeared in the substance or the natural veining of the stone itself. Because of this inscription, the unique size and the masterful shaping of the stone the sons of Emperor Ferdinand I decided in a heritage agreement in 1564 that the agate bowl (together with the "Ainkhürn", the tusk of the narwhal, which Emperor Ferdinand I received as a gift from King Sigismund II of Poland), should be an inalienable heirloom of the house of Habsburg.

The bowl is currently in the Habsburgs' treasury in the Hofburg Imperial Palace, Vienna.

Sources

* [http://www.ambushmag.com/is1997/spot.htm A Vienna tourist account that mentions the bowl in passing]