Ottoman Belt - Van-Turkey/Armenia/Persia - Photos

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Ottoman Belt - Van-Turkey/Armenia/Persia

Posted by Peter Hoesli on May 25, 2015 at 7:07am

This is one of the nicest belts I have seen of this kind. The Niello works are very fine, precise and are typically Van works. The piece is signed by the maker but does not feature the Tugra sign, which supports my assumption. Due to its location in very eastern Turkey, Van belonged at times to Persia, Armenia and now to Turkey. Van is said to have produced the most splendid Niello works anywhere in the world.

Comments

Joost Daalder May 25, 2015 at 2:54pm

A truly great piece, and yes, this one can definitely be identified, as you say. Well done!
Mustafa J. Salem May 25, 2015 at 5:20pm

Fantastic piece. So detailed beautiful Peter.
Thelma May 25, 2015 at 7:56pm

Wow, this is magnificent. Congratulations, Peter.
TD May 25, 2015 at 10:28pm

Gorgeous. Very similar to the piece that I am watching that is coming up in June at a Bonham auction ~ link here ~ might be of interest.
TD May 25, 2015 at 10:32pm

Link: https://www.bonhams.com/auctions/22851/lot/268/
Peter Hoesli May 27, 2015 at 2:15am

Dear All, Many thanks for your comments. I have checked out the belt on Bonhams. A fantastic piece indeed and I believe that it is worth the money they are asking. The belt at Bonhams is traditional and very beautiful. What is standing out on my belt are the chess-pattern nielloed spacers, which are very unique and I have never seen such a belt with such elaborate spacers. But then I believe that while both belts are very similar, they have different origins. As mentioned, mine does not feature any Thugra marks but signatures by the maker. Hence, while the Bonhams belt is from Turkey, I believe that my belt is originating from Van. Works from Van are very focused on Niello works and the silver artists there usually signed them. With kind regards. Peter
Jean-Marie Criel February 12, 2016 at 5:53pm

Some thoughts (and historical data), for what they are worth:

The Persian rule in Van started in 1503, but became problematic already in 1514, after the Ottoman victory in the Battle of Çaldıran. Van became fully Ottoman in 1548, and stayed so until the end of the Ottoman empire, except for almost three years: from 20-5-1915 until 2-4-1918 it was occupied by the Russians (WW1). This could be the reason that the ‘tughra’ is absent (and at the same time would provide a date of production).

Another possibility (but less probable, I think) is: made in an Armenian workshop, at the end of the 19th century or early 20th century. In 1895 ethnic clashes took place in Van between Armenians and Turks (instigated and then brutally repressed by the Ottoman government); I can imagine that some Armenian artisans didn’t want the sultan’s seal on their work anymore (which was no problem if their clientèle was purely Armenian).

If the belt bears the representation of a city, at the foot of the castle rock (which I noticed on one of the links), this would indicate that the jewel was made before 1918, since the town of Van was destroyed during the Ottoman reconquest – and rebuilt some 4 km away.

Kind regards, JM.