A wooden chalice, hand-carved and luminous, graceful yet so humble that Indiana Jones might well choose it as the Holy Grail.
This is the poisoned chalice handed Obama by Bush, who responded to Iranian help in Afghanistan in 2001 by consigning Iran to the axis of evil, rebuffed credible approaches by the former moderate president, Mohammad Khatami, and undermined European diplomacy.
Publicists working for Stella Artois — the Belgian beer is an official Sundance underwriter and also sponsors three event spaces here – sent a news release saying that two reality TV stars, Mercedes Javid and Golnesa Gharachedaghi of "Shahs of Sunset," had been spotted "mingling together with Stella Artois chalices in hand".
Ungerer was at the Drawing Center opening, too, dressed in black — standing at first, like a tall robber, and then, after somebody wheeled out an office chair, sitting, a glass of wine like a chalice in his hand as he beamed.
Available in the United States at the Gagosian Shop on the Upper East Side, it features Christian icons like a Bible, a chalice and praying hands — imagery from Mr. Hirst's "New Religion" series of artwork — set on a deep blue background.
I had finally been handed the chalice of knowledge.
Gove, the new justice secretary, is probably unaware of how poisonous are the contents of the chalice passed into his hands.
She launched her fight against Mr Livingstone for the London mayoralty before Mr Blair finally decided to hand the poisoned chalice to neighbouring MP Frank Dobson.
On July 1, Mr Blair will be handed the poisoned chalice of the EU leadership.
And she left as the meet's official champion, handed a silver chalice and a bouquet of roses.
The Davies Commission will announce its preferred option in the weeks after the next general election, handing a poisoned chalice to the incoming government.
