A NIELLOED SILVER CUP Possibly Van region, Western Anatolia, Ottoman Provinces, late 19th century Of hemispherical shape, resting on a short, flared and pierced foot, with a reinforced rim, a sinuous handle with a dove-shaped thumb rest to the side, the interior decorated with a nielloed tremblant silver fish, suspended on a pole and made of movable components, the exterior exquisitely inlaid with niello with floral bouquets, vegetal festoons andthree oval cartouches, two with landscape scenes and one with the Ottoman Sultan coat of arms and tughra, possibly Abdul Hamid II (1842 - 1918), marked to the base with several hallmarks mentioning Van and Dikran in Arabic lettering and the initials 'D.A.' in Roman alphabet, 6.5cm high and 13cm diam. The shape of this cup and the presence of the dove and the fish suggest a likely use in a Christian rather than Muslim community. This cup could have been used in several ways but its connection both in terms of design and motifs to christening cups seems undeniable. Perhaps produced in the region of Van, an area renowned for its large Armenian settlement, this cup was used in the local communities' liturgical ceremonies.