Van Turkish silver niello cigarette box with armorial decoration
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Van Turkish silver niello cigarette box and cover, marked van and script, of handsome pillow form, with inset cover, decorated with armorial, surrounded by checkered ground, the back with reserve surrounded by flowers and checkered ground, total weight 151gm, 10 cm x 7.4 cm x 2.4 cm. Provenance: collection of the late Fredric Sinfield, Sydney NSW, 1938 - 2008
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- Niello - A compound made up of lead silver copper and sulphur that is black in colour, and applied to the engraved areas of silver items, thus highlighting the engraving by making the black niello detail stand out from the silver background. It was used on edged weapons from the Renaisance onwards, and also by Russian crafstmen of the19th century.
- Armorial / Armourial - Bearing a coat of arms. Coats of arms came into general use by feudal lords and knights in in the 12th century, and by the 13th century, arms had spread beyond their initial battlefield use to become a flag or emblem for families in the higher social classes of Europe. They were inherited from one generation to the next. When a family crest is used on individual items of silver or furniture it is an indicator of the aristocratic standing of the family represented.
Armorials were also used to decorate mass produced ceramic souvenir ware by such companies as Goss, Carlton & Shelley, and in these cases the coats of arms displayed were of boroughs and cities.
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