Treasure of Gourdon

History

A shepherd girl named Louise Forest found the hoard beneath a Roman tile marked with a cross. The treasure likely came from a sixth-century monastery at Gourdon, and the newest coin in the group dates to around 524.

It may have been hidden ahead of a raid. The collection was auctioned in Paris on July 20, 1846. The state bought the paten and chalice, but the recorded coins were scattered and are now inaccessible to the public.

Contents

Discovered with roughly one hundred gold coins minted under Byzantine emperors from Leo I to Justin I, the Treasure of Gourdon includes a chalice and a rectangular paten, both decorated with garnets and turquoises set in cloisonné cells. The chalice stands 7.5 centimeters tall on a truncated conical base, with two handles shaped as highly stylized birds, identifiable only by their beaks and garnet eyes. Its body features a reverse-dragooned base, while the upper section displays cloisonné garnets and turquoises cut into hearts and palmettes.

The vessel’s form resembles the ancient Greek and Roman kantharos, a common wine cup. Its decoration is considered barbarian in style and technique, made unusually light and portable through cloisonné work. Similar bird motifs appear in Visigoth, Lombard, and Merovingian metalwork. The paten measures 19.5 by 12.5 centimeters and is 1.6 centimeters deep, with a border of cloisonné garnets, a central cross in garnets, and four turquoise corner motifs.

The Christian cross clearly marks the set as Christian. The treasure is housed in the Cabinet des Médailles museum in Paris, part of the Bibliothèque nationale.