BÁV ART Aukciósház és Galéria

70. Művészeti aukció | 1. nap

Silver, 237 g. Embossed, punched and engraved leaf and arabesque motifs; navel cast, engraved and chased lying deer figurel. Restored. Turkish era, 16th century. H.: 4,5 cm Diameter: 15 cm. The side of the flatted half-globe-shape plate is decorated with engraved, highly stylized lotus flowers and leaves embossing from the punched background. This continuous decoration is divided by stylized scrolls with smooth surfaces, placed in regular intervals. The side of the bowl is separated from the belly by a frame consisting of a row of pearls and a smooth stripe. This latter is also decorated with the lotus flower pattern embossing from the punched background. In the middle, there is a cast deer figure fixed with a nail, with turning head. The engraved decorative motifs of the plate contain elements of the Chinese-looking style developed around 1470 in the sultan’s seraglio in Istanbul – named Baba Nakkas after the era’s leading artist –, in a form that is a bit different from and simplified as compared to the forerunner original. It is certain that the item was not made based directly on an Ottoman forerunner, however the influence of early 16th century Ottoman art is clearly apparent in it. At the same time, the deer in the middle is a sign of Christian symbolism, representing the desire for salvation and being an allegory of the eternal battle between good and evil. As Chapter 42 of the Psalms says: ‘As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, my God.’ This type of item was known in 16th century Ottoman art, but was typically associated with the silversmith-craft of the Balkan territories. As this territory was a part of the Ottoman Empire in this period, Ottoman influences were heavily present in its art. The Serbian researches concluded that the silver plates created after the Ottoman forerunner in the Baba Nakkas style are probably the works of Ragusan workshops and masters living on the coast of the Adriatic Sea. The items displaying secondary Ottoman influences – very similar to the item at issue – were probably made in Novo Brdo and Pec workshops, the blooming of which was highly influenced by the circumstance that demand for liturgical jewellery items increased significantly following Peci Patriarchatus’s reorganisation in 1557. The continued survival of Ottoman influences was due to the activity of silversmiths, whose presence in Novo Brdo in the 16th century can be clearly established. Different researches reached different conclusions as to the date of creation of items of this group, but it is not disputed that they were made in the middle of the 16th century or later. Another sign that implies that an item was made in a Balkan workshop is when the sultan’s “tugra”, the mark punched into silversmith items is displayed on the item, as is in the case of the item at issue. The authentication of silversmith items with the sultan’s mark was done in the Istanbul mint. As such, the silver cups without “tugra” were not authenticated in Istanbul. Based on the material composition tests, however, it was found that the composition of the pieces where the ornamentation clearly follows an Ottoman forerunner is identical to that of the pieces created in Istanbul workshops. This means that the proportion of silver is higher than 90%. The function of the plates or drinking cups varied per territory. In the Balkan region, they were used as drinking cups by the Christians. Ancient Slavic or Bulgarian inscriptions have been engraved subsequently on several items, which is a clear indication that the item was owned by the Church and was made to be drunk from “for the glory of God”. At the same time, in the Muslim world, they are connected to the item called “nisantasi” (April cup) of Seljuk-Turkish origin. According to folkloric beliefs, lands sprayed with blessed water from these cups would be more fertile. This type of item can certainly be found in Hungarian collections since 1884. Several pieces of the Hungarian National Museum’s collection are close analogies of this piece, and it is also well known in the Serbian and the Bulgarian material materials referred to above. Ibolya Gerelyes (Hungarian National Museum) Literature: Atasoy, Nurhan – Raby, Julian: Iznik. The Pottery of Ottoman Turkey. London 1989, 79-81. Masterpieces of Serbian Goldsmiths’ Work, 13th–18th Century. Exhibition Catalogue – Victoria and Albert Museum. London 1981, 40.; Gajic, Mila: Silver Bowls from the Late Middle Ages in Serbia. Belgrade 2010, 58. Atasoy – Raby 1989, quoted 257, picture 541.; Gajic quoted, 58–59. Previously, Serb researches deemed creation in the 17th century plausible. compare Masterpieces 1981, 42. Géza Fehér, A Magyar Nemzeti Múzeum hódoltság kori ezüstcsészéi, Folia Archaeologica XVII (1965), 178.; Gajic, , quoted 73 List of the Hungarian historical gold- and silversmith item exhibition, Budapest, 1884, second room, 147-148. Géza Fehér - Török kori iparművészeti alkotások, Corvina, 1975 Budapest, 1975, pictures 19, 33, 34, 36.; Fehér, quoted 1965, 178-182. Literature: Géza Fehér - Török kori iparművészeti alkotások, Corvina, 1975 (”Works of Applied Arts from the Turkish Era”) pic. 33-34

1333 EUR