A TALL ENAMELLED SILVER CUP
Possibly Central Asia or Qarabagh, modern-day Afghanistan, 19th century

Of deep cylindrical shape, resting on a plain circular base, with a reinforced circular mouth, the exterior finely decorated with gold-leaf stippled and appliqued vegetal motifs against an enamelled dark blue ground, the main decoration consisting of three gilt vegetal medallions with a triumph of saz leaves, split palmettes, rosettes and lush foliage interspersed by vegetal festoons, each medallion enriched with raised and stippled turquoise, dark green and red enamel beads, a row of green enamel dots at the top and bottom, 10cm high and 9.4cm diam.

The enamel composition on this cup is very much indebted to 18th and 19th-centuries French and Russian guilloche enamel models. However, its decorative motifs and execution lead to suggest a Central Asian origin, bridging the gap between Iran and the West. Possibly inspired by Iranian Qalyan cups of the Qajar era in terms of shape, this cup acts as a true melting pot of different influences, an emblem of the historical momentum witnessed by the Central Asian states at the time of the Great Game and the 19th-century Western discovery of Asia Minor.

Descr enamel models. However, its decorative motifs and execution lead to suggest a Central Asian origin, bridging the gap between Iran and the West. Possibly inspired by Iranian Qalyan cups of the Qajar era in terms of shape, this cup acts as a true melting pot of different influences, an emblem of the historical momentum witnessed by the Central Asian states at the time of the Great Game and the 19th-century Western discovery of Asia Minor.