Lot 46: AN OTTOMAN GILT-COPPER TOMBAK JUG, TURKEY, 16TH - 17TH CENTURY

This vessel is an Ottoman gilt-copper jug, a form often referred to as a mashraba. The item is crafted from a copper alloy and finished with mercury gilding, a technique specifically known in Turkish metalwork as tombak. The jug features a globular body, a waisted and flared cylindrical neck, and a splayed footed base. The body is decorated with three large incised lobed medallions, each containing a dense, symmetrical interlaced arabesque of geometric and foliate patterns. Floral and leaf motifs fill the areas between these medallions. The neck is ornamented with a broad band of incised decoration consisting of interlaced scrollwork within a repeating diamond-shaped lattice. The S-curved handle is cast and chased, featuring an upper terminal sculpted into the form of a dragon or mythical creature’s head where it meets the rim. The lower attachment point of the handle is finished with a decorative openwork scroll finial.

H: 14cm