The goldsmith Juan Carlos Pallarols creates a chalice of peace, made of bullets, for Leo XIV

The goldsmith Juan Carlos Pallarols , son, grandson, and great-grandson of famous silversmiths , has begun construction of the "Chalice of Peace," casting bullets fired in war , to present to Pope Leo XIV . A gesture he hopes will serve to "unite humanity."

In his home-studio in San Telmo, one of Buenos Aires' legendary neighborhoods, Pallarols gathers his friends and family to witness the beginning of a new work of art.

Amidst glasses of wine, greetings, hugs, relics, sarcophagi, paintings by renowned artists and a grand piano, Pallarols, 82, lights the fire , places a small crucible in the oven and distributes to his guests pieces of metal, which correspond to rose petals made from melted bullets.

The congregation, one by one, passes before the furnace, throws the metal into it , and turns the workshop into a place of pilgrimage.

Previously, the base of the chalice had been hand-chiseled , as the goal was for the ciborium to arrive at the Vatican imbued with the work and spirit of many people. "To unite humanity," says the artist.

In his workshop, filled with tools, old hardwood tables, and a furnace that melts gold, silver, and bronze, the goldsmith makes another announcement during an interview: the chalice of Leo XIV, in addition to bullets, will contain remnants of reliquaries that he himself made with his own hands for the first Argentine saint, Héctor Valdivieso.

"I made the reliquaries for the parishes of the 24 provinces (in Argentina) and some for Spain, because he was killed in Asturias, and from all that material I was left with several pieces of bronze ," he says.

He also says that before taking the chalice to Rome, Pallarols would take it around the Argentine provinces and travel with it to Chiclayo, the city in northern Peru where Leo XIV was bishop.

There are two types of artwork that have given Juan Carlos Pallarols worldwide fame: the peace roses , made with melted bullets from current and past conflicts, such as the Falklands, the Spanish Civil War, and World War II, and the batons of command he has made for the presidents of Argentina.

He made his first walking stick for Juan Domingo Perón in 1973, and then made it for all the presidents after the dictatorship: from Raúl Alfonsín (1983-1989) to Javier Milei, who rejected it in 2023 because he had not sculpted the heads of his three dogs in silver .

Regarding this eccentricity, Pallarols recalls: "He returned it to me because I didn't want to put little dogs on the handle. On a national emblem, you can't put little dogs or a portrait of my mother, or anyone else. Each emblem has a form of construction and design. And he returned it to me with a letter. They later made him another baton of command with the little dogs."

" I have it there, in my collection of walking sticks . I have the walking sticks that I have recovered because I bought them, some were given to me by the relatives of the presidents who used them," he adds without rancor, but with pride, while showing off those works of art in precious metal and wood .

Regarding Milei's cane, he added: "I don't know what I'm going to do because it's not mine. I collected it when I handed it over, meaning it's the property of the Presidency. I think what the president did when he returned it was very reckless ; it's not right."

Hollywood celebrities, Arab princes and European queens, billionaires from around the world, and ordinary people have all graced Pallarols' studio . The doors of this house-museum are always open to artists playing the piano or accordion, or singing tango, milonga, or malagueña.

"Yes, many famous people, but when I try to remember them, they fade from my memory," he replies when asked which famous people have commissioned works from him and visited him in San Telmo.

He thinks for a moment and, after boasting about his friendship with Joan Manuel Serrat, says: " Johnny Depp was here and he commissioned me to make a bust of an Austrian actress, who was also a scientist and invented a communications system during World War II."

Hedy Lamarr was the architect of long-range wireless communication, and Deep commissioned Pallarols to create her bust, then asked the Austrian authorities to display it in a public square . The American actor feels Lamarr hasn't been honored as she deserves.

The artist continues: " Dalí had asked me for a mate , with his big gold mustache, but he died while I was making it."

Despite having met many important people throughout his life, Pallarols confesses that "the most beautiful works are not for famous people , they are for those who have a passion for silversmithing, for celebration, who understand what it means to create something that will last a lifetime. They do it with more honesty, without exhibitionism, and therefore it is more beautiful and more authentic."

With this authenticity, the famous goldsmith from San Telmo will travel to Rome to deliver his chalice of peace to Pope Leo XIV.