A rare Ottoman diamond-set and enamelled silver gilt incense burner, Turkey, 19th century

This impressive incense burner belongs to a small group of ornately enamelled and gem-set objects which are known to have been produced in the Ottoman court workshops in the nineteenth century. There is another incense burner currently on display in the Topkapi Palace Museum treasury which is almost identical in form and decoration to this lot. In addition, there are three other closely comparable Ottoman works with very similar enamelled decoration in the Topkapi Palace treasury - a dessert service, which includes two covered cups and a pot with fluted exteriors (inv. no.7600); a ewer with a fluted body (inv. no.1886); and a writing set (inv. no.769), all published in J.M. Rogers et al., The The Topkapı Saray Museum: The Treasury, London, 1987, pp.203-5; pl. nos.96, 98, 113. Rogers notes that the designs are associated with painted porcelains made at the imperial factory in Istanbul in the mid-nineteenth century. 

The origin of late Ottoman enamels is unclear, but it is known that many enamelworks were imported from Central and Northern Europe. Glass presents the most analogous art form with which to compare the creation of Ottoman enamelwork pieces, both reflective of the cultural exchange between the Ottoman Empire and its neighbours. Just as Ottoman glassmakers crafted richly adorned, sophisticated and challenging objects such as flower vases, kettles, candlesticks, bowls and sweets containers, created to impress the most noble of patrons, analogous examples exist in enamel. 

For an early nineteenth century Ottoman silver-gilt enamelled asurlik with comparable floral decoration, see Sotheby’s London, 8 October 2014, lot 184.