OTTOMAN TURKEY, 18TH CENTURY

A belt buckle of similar form and also studded with pearls, although not with the density of ours, is in the Sadberk Hanim Museum (Inv.10376-Z.353, a-c; Hülya Bilgi, Reunited after Centuries. Works of art restored to Turkey by the Sadberk Hanim Museum, exhibition catalogue, Istanbul, 2005, pp.200-01, no.88). The Sadberk Hanim belt is stamped with the tughra of Mustafa III (1757-1774). Although ours is not marked it seems likely that it is of similar date. The Sadberk Hanim Museum also have another buckle, more heavily decorated with pearls in a manner closer to ours but of slightly different form. Although not obviously stamped, that too is dated by them to the 18th century supporting our proposed dating (Inv. 14565-Z.525 a,b; De Byzance à Istanbul. Un Port pour deux Continents, exhibition catalogue, Paris 2009, pp.284-285, no.2).