Treasure of Gourdon

When it was found, the hoard comprised a chalice and a rectangular paten that were similarly applied with garnets and turquoises in cloisonné compartments, together with about a hundred gold coins dating from the reigns of Byzantine emperors Leo I (457–474) through Justin I (518–527).

The treasure is preserved in the Cabinet des Médailles museum, Paris, a department of the Bibliothèque nationale.

The upper part of the chalice is decorated with cloisonné garnets and turquoises cut into the shapes of hearts and palmettes.

Comparable bird motifs may be traced back to Visigoth, Lombard and Merovingian metalwork.

A shepherd girl, Louise Forest, discovered it below a Roman tile engraved with a cross.