KAYSERI, TURKEY, FIRST HALF 18TH CENTURY

This intricately decorated dish is probably the work of Armenian silversmiths working in Kayseri during the first half of the 18th century. The drapery on the figures and the expressive facial details recall a bowl depicting a bath house attributed by Garo Kurkman to Kayseri, (Garo Kurkman, Ottoman Silvermarks, Istanbul, 1996, p. 234 and on the back cover). The scene itself depicts a pilgrim leaving an offering before the figure of Christ resurrected. Behind them there lies a stylised depiction of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. This dish was probably produced in the context of the fund raising efforts of Grigor Shkhtayakir, an early 18th century leader of the Armenian Church who sought to end the near bankrupt status of the Jerusalem Armenian Patriarchy.