The chalice from the collection of the District Museum in Tarnów is a small, slender silver cup on a leg, with an oval bowl narrowed at the bottom, gilded from the inside. The baluster-shaped stem, with two flattened knop with rings, passes into a round foot with a bell-shaped mantle, with a plinth and a serrated flange. On the surface of the bowl, on one side, there is a decoration in the form of an engraved, hollow heraldic shield (Swiss type), surrounded by a plant twig motif on the sides. There are three punched hallmarks on the vessel: 1. on the edge of the bowl: the Polish state hallmark for silver fineness of "3" from the Kraków Assay Office; 2. on the plinth of the foot: a Polish, state auxiliary hallmark for marking minor parts of larger products; 3. ibid.: goldsmith's name hallmark: "JW". The cup was made in Kraków or its vicinity, as indicated by the hallmark covering the area of the Kraków Assay Office.
Elijah's cup is an integral part of the Seder, a ceremonial supper that begins the spring holiday of Passover. According to tradition, the prophet Elijah visits all Jewish homes on this night, which is an announcement of the coming of the Messiah. It is supposed to bring peace and harmony in the world and in the family, which is why during the Seder supper the door is left ajar and the fifth cup, called the Cup of Elijah, is prepared especially for him. This cup is filled with red, sweet wine, which is intended to remind the feasters of the blood of the sacrificed lamb. During the Egyptian captivity, it was used to mark the doors of Jewish houses when God sent the last of the ten plagues. During periods of persecution of Jews, red wine was replaced with white wine to avoid unfounded accusations of ritual murder and drinking Christian blood.
The prophet Elijah of Tishbe, active in the time of King Ahab (9th century BC), was highly respected and revered. His life and activities are recounted in the Biblical Books of Kings. As the account goes, Elijah possessed the gift of clairvoyance and performing miracles (among other things, he was able to move from place to place, multiply food, and raise the dead). At the end of his earthly life, he was taken to heaven in a fiery cart drawn by fiery horses. He plays an important role in later rabbinic literature and Jewish folklore.
The cup was donated to the District Museum in Tarnów in 1973 by the Municipal and District Civic Militia Headquarters in Tarnów. It was found between the ceiling and the floor during renovation works of a tenement house at Lwowska Street. It was probably hidden there by its last owners during World War II. Lwowska Street marked the border of the ghetto, which was liquidated in September 1943.
Barbara Bułdys