FEATURES ARCHIVE

East Meets West
For centuries, Swiss artisans have been celebrated for their skilled enamelwork and intricate gold boxes of the highest quality. In the early 19th century, the Swiss applied their talents to elaborate gold and gem-set boxes designed to appeal to the Turkish market. As a result, the exquisite gold boxes, such as the one shown here, offer a unique synthesis of Western craftsmanship and Eastern subject matter. Common surface decoration incorporated iconic elements that were easily recognizable to the Turkish clientele. Scenes of the Hagia Sophia, Istanbul’s magnificent Byzantine basilica, were among the most popular. The Bosporus, or the Istanbul Strait (a narrow and bustling waterway connecting the Asian side and the European side of Istanbul) is another recurring theme.

Sparkling Symbolism
A closer look reveals that in addition to enameled native landscapes, these boxes were ornamented with diamonds, pearls and other precious stones, often taking the shape of Ottoman calligraphy or the crescent moon and star. Our forthcoming auction of Important Objects of Vertu, English, Continental and American Silver presents an unusually large and diverse selection of these Swiss-made gold and gem-set boxes for the Turkish market, with estimates ranging from $2,000–15,000. You may inspect their glorious detail up close at our pre-sale exhibition and auction.