AN HISPANO-COLONIAL SILVER BERNEGAL (DRINKING CUP) WITH FISH MOTIF
Possibly Bolivia, ex-Spanish colony, South America, 19th century

Of deep rounded shape, with a flattened base, the central field chased in high relief with a fish encased within concentric decorative bands of fretwork and beading, the outmost band incised with the name of the owner, Martin Enejoso, surrounded by a floral collar, on the exterior of the rim two small handles with pouncing dogs and stylised sinuous foliage.

15cm diameter and 4.5cm high

190gr.

Silver drinking bowls of this kind, often referred to as bernegal or tembladera, were recurrent in Spanish silverware, most of all in the South American territories from the 17th century onward. Their shape and design, however, show great affinity with Balkan tazas, usually pre-dating the Spanish examples. The tazas were part of the pre-Ottoman Balkan silver heritage, which survived and kept on thriving and being sought-after under Ottoman rule for many centuries. One could wonder if the aesthetic similarity of these models is determined by effective comparables that might have travelled long distances as export material or simply by the rather functional and practical shape of these vessels.