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Lot Essay
The rich iconography of this bowl celebrates two key events in the history of Armenian Christianity. To the upper quarter is a baptism scene, depicting the moment when St Gregory the Enlightener blessed Queen Ashken and King Trdat III, marking the beginning of the Christian kingdom of Armenia, a date traditionally recorded as 29 November 301 AD. The lower register depicts three figures, likely the saints Isaac of Armenia (d.circa 436), Mesrop Mashtots (d.440), and Gregory of Narek (d.1003). Together with Nerses IV, these figures are known as 'the Translators', responsible for the development of the Armenian alphabet. Another bowl of almost identical design, but made in silver, was sold in these Rooms, 9 October 2014, lot 113.
The repoussé work of the bowl is typical of the products of the community of gold and silversmiths who worked in Kayseri between the mid-17th and mid-18th centuries. Their output included liturgical items, especially book covers, as well as luxurious household goods (Sylvie L. Merian, "Armenian Metalwork in Kayseri", in Helen C. Evans (ed.), Armenia: Art, Religion and Trade in the Middle Ages, New York, 2018, pp.241-6). Among the products of these workshops is a gold pyxis in the Calouste Gulbenkian Museum, Lisbon, which is of a high quality comparable to the present lot (acc.no.2920). The eight sides are decorated with scenes from the life of Christ and depictions of the apostles. As on our bowl, the space is organised by a series of columns and arches above the figures. An inscription allows that vessel to be dated precisely to 1136 of the Armenian calendar (1687 AD), and informs us that it was made by a certain Sedrak in Kayseri.
The building at the centre is recognisable as the cathedral of St James in Jerusalem. Although our bowl is uninscribed, according to Dr Vrej Nersessian, it may have been made for the Patriarch of Jerusalem Grigor Shirvantsi (1721-49). He earned the epithet Shghtyakir, chain bearer, because he is said to have carried an iron chain around his neck for four years until the Ottomans agreed to forgive the debts of Armenian creditors in Jerusalem. He received many gifts in gratitude, including two engraved copper bowls now in the collection of the British Museum (acc.nos.1957,0802.15 and 16).
The repoussé work of the bowl is typical of the products of the community of gold and silversmiths who worked in Kayseri between the mid-17th and mid-18th centuries. Their output included liturgical items, especially book covers, as well as luxurious household goods (Sylvie L. Merian, "Armenian Metalwork in Kayseri", in Helen C. Evans (ed.), Armenia: Art, Religion and Trade in the Middle Ages, New York, 2018, pp.241-6). Among the products of these workshops is a gold pyxis in the Calouste Gulbenkian Museum, Lisbon, which is of a high quality comparable to the present lot (acc.no.2920). The eight sides are decorated with scenes from the life of Christ and depictions of the apostles. As on our bowl, the space is organised by a series of columns and arches above the figures. An inscription allows that vessel to be dated precisely to 1136 of the Armenian calendar (1687 AD), and informs us that it was made by a certain Sedrak in Kayseri.
The building at the centre is recognisable as the cathedral of St James in Jerusalem. Although our bowl is uninscribed, according to Dr Vrej Nersessian, it may have been made for the Patriarch of Jerusalem Grigor Shirvantsi (1721-49). He earned the epithet Shghtyakir, chain bearer, because he is said to have carried an iron chain around his neck for four years until the Ottomans agreed to forgive the debts of Armenian creditors in Jerusalem. He received many gifts in gratitude, including two engraved copper bowls now in the collection of the British Museum (acc.nos.1957,0802.15 and 16).