Fine Antique Ottoman Turkish Islamic Solid Silver Zarf c1880 ; Abdul Hamid II

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Fine Antique Ottoman Turkish Islamic Solid Silver Zarf c1880 ; Abdul Hamid II :
$178.61

Exquisite Antique Turkish Ottoman era Solid Silver Zarf. c1880

Zarfs were coffee cup holders. Although coffee was probably discovered in Ethiopia it was in Ottoman Turkey in the 13th century that it became popular as a beverage. As with the serving of tea in China and Japan, the serving of coffee in the Ottoman Empire was a complex ritual. It was served in small cups which were placed inside zarfs to protect the cup and also the fingers of the drinker from the hot liquid. Cups themselves were typically porcelain but it was the holder, being the visible part that tended to be more ornamental and collected these days.

Zarfs were made out of various materials but this one is a fine gold washed, solid silver example and would have belonged to a wealthy family.

Very skillfully hand raised, it features an exquisite engine turned design.

It is in excellent original condition and retains much of it\'s original gold wash.

Good hallmarks (see picture 2) include the Tughra of Sultan Abdul Hamid II, the last absolute ruler of the Ottoman Empire (see his portrait in picture 2).

Beautifully proportioned and tactile, it has a height of around 58mm.Beautiful

Ottoman era Gold Washed

Solid Silver Zarf and an interesting aspect of Islamic art.