Ottoman Armenian-Style Repoussed Silver Bowl with Tugra

This fine repoussed shallow silver bowl is from Ottoman Turkey. The central roundel is decorated with a building with Byzantium Orthodox domes and is most probably meant to represent a church, or given the minaret, perhaps a church that has been converted to a mosque. Such representations of buildings often are seen in silverwork commissioned by the local Armenian community. Three poplar trees rise from behind the building.

The interior sides of the bowl are decorated with six petal-like cartouches which are repoussed in an Ottoman style with sprays of roses. More roses separate the cartouches.

The base of the bowl has a slight dome, providing a convex interior.

The base has been stamped with a tugra (the symbol of the reigning sultan used as a local Silver control mark.) The tugra is indistinct.

Other than for some age-related tarnishing (which could be removed but we have elected not to do so), the bowl is in excellent condition. The dish is finer and more ‘silvery’ than suggested by the photographs.