Ottoman Armenian silver repoussé snuff box with religious iconography
Record status
Individual type · partial
Period
19th century
This 19th-century Ottoman Armenian small rectangular silver box serves as a snuff box or reliquary, featuring elaborate repoussé and chased craftsmanship. The hinged lid is ornamented with a dense pattern of scrolling foliage and blossoms within a decorative border.
The box sides are adorned with a repeating architectural motif of rounded arches, each enclosing a small four-petalled flower. Notably, the interior of the lid depicts a chased religious scene showing the Virgin and Child accompanied by two standing angels. The underside of the base contains a central rectangular panel showcasing a vase of flowers framed by a beaded border. A wide border around the base panel carries a chased Armenian script inscription which translates as 'In memory of' followed by the names 'Petros' and 'Hovhannes'.
The piece measures 5.5 cm in length and weighs 41 grams, demonstrating a high level of decorative metalwork typical of the period's ecclesiastical and secular artistry.
Evidence at a glance
- Linked sources
- 1
- Photograph views
- 1
- Catalogue references
- 0
Counts describe this entry’s documentation, not authenticity, rarity or completeness. Photographs may show one specimen; check each caption and licence.
Physical characteristics
- Length
- 5.5 cm
- Weight
- 41 g
- Material
- silver
Design
- Base
- vase of flowers within beaded border
- Sides
- architectural rounded arches with flowers
- Inscriptions
- Armenian script meaning 'In memory of Petros and Hovhannes'
- Lid exterior
- scrolling foliage and blossoms
- Lid interior
- Virgin and Child flanked by two angels
Identification
- Source note
- Described from a single auction-house listing published on Invaluable (reproduced with Invaluable's permission). Details apply to that one example; other examples of the type may differ, and the listing is supplementary evidence, not authentication.
Catalogue references
No catalogue numbers recorded. Numbers are only published once transcribed from a verified edition of a standard catalogue — they are never inferred.