A GILT-COPPER REPLICA DISH OF THE HUNGARIAN GOLDEN TREASURE OF NAGYSZENTMIKLÓS (GREAT ST. NICHOLAS)
Possibly Austro-Hungarian Empire or Balkans, 19th century

Of oval shape, resting on a repoussé lobed base chased to the exterior with stylised palmettes between herringbone bands, with an applied lobed side handle decorated with pairs of regardant lions and griffins in relief, and a circular opening to centre, possibly used as buckle to strap the dish to a belt, the reverse of the handle with engraved foliate scrolls, underneath it an undeciphered Runic Proto-Bulgarian inscription, 12.5cm x 17.5cm.

The Golden Treasure of Nagyszentmiklós, housed today in the Kunsthistorisches Museum of Vienna, is an important hoard of 23 gold vessels variously dated from the 6th to the 10th century, found on 3 July 1799 by Bulgarians Christoph and Kiril Nako in the vicinity of Nagyszentmiklós (Sânnicolau Mare), modern-day Romania. Upon its retrieval, the treasure was moved to Vienna and handed over to the then-Emperor of Austria-Hungary, Francis II (12 February 1768 – 2 March 1835). It has been speculated that the hoard originally belonged to Khan Asparuh, who founded the Bulgarian state in 681 AD, with treasures hoarded by his predecessor, Khan Kubrat (r. 632 - 650/65), and later enriched with possessions of Khan Omurtag (r. 814 - 831). It was subsequently owned by Tsar Simeon I The Great of Bulgaria (r. 893 - 927) and buried sometime after 971 from the siege and seizure of the capital of Great Preslav by the Byzantine army.

The vessels in the hoard belong to a variety of different early and Medieval cultures including Avar, Byzantine, Magyar (or Early Bulgar), Khazar, and also Sasanian Persian, and Central Asian Bactrian. The items with inscriptions use three different languages, namely Greek, Proto-Bulgarian using Greek characters, and Runic Proto-Bulgarian, like in the case of our dish. The sensation caused by the hoard's discovery possibly led to the production of Austrian facsimiles in the 19th century, scattered around as souvenirs and memorabilia. The present lot is an identical replica of the gold 'buckle dish', item 12, in the Golden Treasure of Nagyszentmiklós Room at the Kunsthistorisches Museum of Vienna. In the last decade, two identical dishes have appeared in the London auction market, please see Bonhams London, 5 April 2011, and these Rooms, 20 October 2021, lot 374.