Choose wisely: Holy Grail prop from Indiana Jones is up for auction

Started by Vox Clara, December 01, 2022, 11:09:51 AM

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Vox Clara

From Aleteia:

Choose wisely: Holy Grail prop from Indiana Jones is up for auction


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J-P Mauro - published on 11/28/22

We may never know the whereabouts of the true Holy Grail, but this prop can seed the imaginations of the faithful.

One day the props from the classic Indiana Jones series may be old enough to belong in a museum, but as for today, one of the most famous items is up for auction. Heritage Auctions, the world's largest collectible auctioneers, is selling the prop Holy Grail that was actually used in The Last Crusade.

In the hit film Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, Indy faces his greatest obstacle when he has to select the true Holy Grail from a collection of cups meant to misdirect unsavvy visitors to its hidden shrine (which used Jordan's Petra as a location). If he chose the wrong cup, as the villains who accompany him do, he would find not eternal life, but instant death.

Modern day movie fans won't have their lives on the line, with an array of replica grails also for sale on Amazon and Ebay, but they will still have to choose wisely before committing to the prop's starting price of $15,000.

The prop

Central to the plot of Paramount's 1989 blockbuster, the Holy Grail is described by the auction house as "made of fiberglass/resin painted to resemble weathered earthenware or terracotta, with bright gold leaf finish on the cup's interior and gold leaf patches embellishing the exterior." In the film, the cup was made to look humble amidst the bejeweled chalices that give the impression they are fit for kings.

The prop comes with a certificate of authenticity, but it can be further identified by a crack through the bowl that was caused during production. This crack has been "expertly" repaired by Paul Robins, the prop maker who made this piece for the production. Robins was also the original owner of the prop grail.

The piece is scheduled to go up for bids on December 17, 2022, at 7 p.m. CST. While there have been no bids listed as yet, Heritage notes that the page has received more than 1,100 views and competition is expected to be fierce.

The real Grail

The whereabouts of the real Holy Grail, the cup or dish said to have been used by Jesus Christ at the Last Supper, are largely up for debate. Many cultures and nations have claimed to possess the grail over the years, but none of these have been officially recognized by the Church. Still, this has not stifled claims from some that they possess the genuine article.

Aleteia's own Daniel Esparza outlined three such grails in 2021, when he reported on several grails in Spain that are suggested to be the real deal. One of these is in Galicia, another is in Valencia, and yet a third is on the Camino de Santiago, the most famous pilgrimage route in Europe.

While these are some of the most popular grails for pilgrims and curious historians, there are a few more claims to the true Holy Grail at churches in other parts of the world. We may never know exactly what happened to the cup that Christ held up at the Last Supper, but until then the prop of the holy grail can seed our imaginations.

Goldfinch

For those who don't remember this iconic scene:

"You're strangely dressed for a knight."

[yt]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A0TalLrtZ24[/yt]
"For there are no works of power, dearly-beloved, without the trials of temptations, there is no faith without proof, no contest without a foe, no victory without conflict. This life of ours is in the midst of snares, in the midst of battles; if we do not wish to be deceived, we must watch: if we want to overcome, we must fight." - St. Leo the Great