An Ottoman Silver-GIlt Tankard (hanap), Balkans, tughra of Ahmed I (r.1603-17)

of tapering cylindrical form, decorated in two registers with chased designs of hunting and mythical beasts amid elaborate flowers and foliage on a stippled ground, the decoration bordered by three raised ridges, an elongated plain panel for attaching the handle, the upper ridge stamped with a tughra

Turkophilia, Paris, 2011

Paris 2011, pp.20-21

In fair condition, some knocks, slight abrasion and rubbing across surface with consequential partial loss of gilding, as viewed.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

The form, supposedly of northern European origin, appears in a small group of silverware dating from the mid-sixteenth (see lot 109) to the early seventeenth century. At roughly the same time, the form and its decoration are imitated in Iznik pottery. A tankard in the David Collection mirrors the structure of two registers and three defining bands (Atasoy and Raby 1989, p.276, no.619). Another tankard, in Paris, shares a similar vocabulary of decorative motifs in its use of the `Animal Style'. Though of Balkan origin, it appears on this tankard in the Ottoman variant of this style with an exuberant parade of beasts on a flowering scroll with lotiform elements originating in chinoiserie.

The technique used in the decoration of this tankard is the most common for this group and is paralleled by the work on a similar tankard sold through these rooms, 12th October 1988, which was also stamped with a tughra, identified as that of Ahmed I by Garo Kurkman (Kurkman 1996, p.31, figs.49-51).