Rare Armenian silver cup and saucer fetches over $21.000 at Christie's

PanARMENIAN.Net - A rare Armenian enameled silver cup and saucer was on April 21 auctioned at Christie's in London, bringing a total of £15,000 ($21,510).

The dishware, made for Armenian Catholicos Ghoukas Karnetsi, in the second half 18th century in Ottoman Turkey, was estimated to go for £7,000 - £10,000 ($9,954 - $14,220).

With a height of 5.8 cm, the cup on a short foot has two handles in the form of lions. The surface is decorated with repoussé medallions with blue, turquoise and green enamel highlights, the roundels of which are composed by paired angels flanking a wreath containing a ceremonial staff and the Armenian monogram of Catholicos Ghoukas. The medallions have an Armenian-style church tower above, containing similar motifs. The rim of the cup has a band of strapwork, an interior with a raised boss with a lion and cross. The circular saucer with a 15 cm diameter has a raised rim, similar enamelled repoussé decoration with a lion at the center surrounded by four heart-shaped medallions and an outer band of strapwork.

The monogram on the cup reads Gh[ou] k [a]s K[a] th [oghi] k [os] – Catholicos Goukas.