Pyxis / Chrismale / Control Kit (2) - Antique - .800 silver - 1900-1910 - Pyxis Hostie and Chrisma

Silver service set used to visit the sick and dying. The set consists of two pyxes, one for the host and one for the chrism used in the Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick. Both boxes have an engraved depiction on the lids. One with the text: O.I. (oleum infirmorum) Oil for the sick, and one with the letters IHS and a cross, a reference to the name of Jesus. Both boxes are gilded on the inside.

These pyxes date from around 1900 and are used within the Catholic Church for bringing the consecrated host (pyxis) and the last holy oil to the sick and dying (chrismatorium / oil box).

Both boxes are marked on both the lid and the box with a maker’s mark unknown to me, probably French. In addition, it is marked with a V. The curled V is a re‑inspection/assay mark used in the Netherlands from 1906 to 1953. This V is often mistaken for a decorative a, but it is the V for foreign works. It was struck from January 1, 1906 to September 1, 1953 on foreign silver that came to be assayed in the Netherlands.

Dimensions:
- 2 cm x 4.8 cm

Weight:
80 grams, second-grade silver

Condition:
- Very good. (see photos)