The so-called Artukid bowl is the only enameled object which includes both an Arabic and a Persian inscription. According to the Arabic inscription the Artukid ruler Rukn ed Devle Davud was the owner of this object. Although its provenance is still unclear, the technique and material show similarities to several Byzantine examples. For this reason the bowl has been interpreted as a royal gift from Constantinople to the Artukid ruler. It has also been attributed to Georgia or to Mesopotamia. The (...) Arabic inscription includes a long list of titles of Rukn ed Devle Davud, like "Katl al Kafara" or "Samsam al Milla" . I, however, cannot imagine that a Christian emperor would address an Islamic ruler with such terms. The sender of the bowl was most likely another Islamic monarch. In addition, the Persian inscription leads to suspect that the sender had a close relationship with the Persian language and culture. Most probably he was a member of the royal Seljuk family in Anatolia. What was the reason for sending such a gift to a minor local ruler ? The written sources inform us that the daughter of the Seljuk Sultan Kiliç Aslan I. , Sacide Hatun , was married with Rukn ed Devle Davud, owner of our bowl. Furthermore the sources tell us that bowls were sometimes a part of the dowries. All these factors lead me to suggest that the so-called Artukid bowl was produced as a wedding gift in a Greek atelier of Seljuk Anatolia. (shrink)

English Summary The main focus of this article is a church, the picture of which is shown on a gravure by Gugas İnciciyan and called Arslanhane (Menagerie)/Nakkaşhane (House of painters). The church has a central dome, an apsis and a semi dome at the west side and looks like a little model of the Hagia Sophia. It was erected above an other building with a central arch. This resembles descriptions of the Chalke gate and the Chalke church in several written (...) sources. Some chraracteristic marks of İnciciyan's church can also be discovered on some other drawings from various artists (Matrakçi Nasuh 1537; Melchior Lorichs, 1559; Cornelius Loos, 1710). A comparison with them helps us to localise it on the southern side of the former university building of Gaspare Fossati. Written sources inform us that the so called Arslanhane/Nakkaşhane of Inciciyan was not the only the building, which was converted to a menagerie. The church of Johannes in the Diippion and an other building, near the southwest corner of the Hagia Sophia were also used as menagerie during the Ottoman period. Especially the second one can be seen on various drawings. In our opinion Mango's identification of a church drawn by Willey Reveley (1786) with the Chalke, must be reviewed, since it was probably that of Theotokos Varaniotissa, which was renewed in the late Byzantine era. (shrink)