UGOLINO DI VIERI

Italian goldsmith. The first reference to Ugolino is in 1329 when he and his sons, Ugolino the younger and Giovanni, sold a house. In 1332, Ugolino received compensation in connection with the commission of a chaliceGLOSSARYA cup used in the celebration of the Christian Eucharist. Both the statement of St. Paul about "the cup of blessing which we bless" (1 Corinthians 10:16) and the accounts of the institution of the Eucharist in the first three Gospels indicate that special rites of consecration attended the use of the chalice from the beginning. It was not until the recognition of Christianity by the Roman Empire in the 4th century that silver and gold became the usual materials for the chalice. In the Middle Ages the legend of the Holy Grail surrounded the origins of the eucharistic chalice with a magical aura. The precious stones and elaborate carvings employed for the embellishment of chalices have made them an important part of the history of ecclesiastical art. that the Comune of Siena was to give to the condottiere Guidoriccio da Fogliano. In 1337-38 Ugolino produced his most important work, the magnificent reliquary of the Santo Corporale (Orvieto CathedralGLOSSARYThe principal church of a province or diocese, where the throne of the bishop is placed. For reasons lost to time and tradition, a cathedral always faces west - toward the setting sun. The altar is placed at the east end. The main body, or nave, of the cathedral is usually divided into one main and two side aisles. These lead up to the north and south transepts, or arms of the cross, the shape in which a cathedral is usually formed.). The inscription on the reliquaryGLOSSARYa container (often richly decorated) for sacred relics, usually parts of a saint's body. states that it was commissioned by Bishop Tramo Monaldeschi and the canons of Orvieto Cathedral during the pontificate of Benedict XII. It was probably manufactured in Siena; payments date from 7 May 1337 to 27 December 1339, and the total cost was 1374 and a half gold florins.