Images of a Silver Ottoman tray
Silver Ottoman tray with filigree openwork edges. Wire braided handles decorated with filigree leaf-shaped swirls. The oval tray decorated with a band of engraved flower vines (Clematis Orientalis). Ottoman Empire hallmarks.
This tray with the fragile handles is certainly not suitable for serving heavy filled glasses or bottles. Perhaps used for serving these small Turkish (filigree) silver coffee zarfs, or oval Turkish flatbreads.
Sizes; length including grips and raised edges 52,5 cm, width 34 cm. Tray itself without decorated raised edges 36cmx28cm. Weight 1275 gram.
The back.
Detail of left tray handle.
Engraving.
Detail construction back of left handle
Both images of the same Ottoman Empire hallmarks, and later Dutch standard mark ZII (minimum 835/000).
Tughra, or Sultan's Seal, at the right of the zülfe is the ayar or fineness mark ٩٠ (90), assay 900/000 silver mark. Located above the fineness mark is the name of assay office Istanbul.
Sah mark of Abdülhamid II, 1876-1909 secondary confirmation of metal fineness .
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abdul_Hamid_II
In the beginning of the 14th century, Turkey was the center of the great Ottoman Empire. Hallmarking was first implemented in the mid-15th century during the reign of Sultan Mehmed II.
The Imperial Tughra, in modern Turkish written as tuğra, whose design changed with each new ruler, was the imperial signature of the then-ruling Ottoman Sultan, there is some overlap from one Sultan’s reign to the next. Of the more noticeable aspects of the tughra are the large sweeping loops that extend off the left side of the mark, called the beyze, or egg in Turkish. They have been thought of as representing the two major seas that one time was under ottoman rule, the Mediterranean and the Black Sea. Another distinct aspect of the mark is the extending top three vertical lines, standing vigilant, called the tuğ. These appear to have pennants floating that create the sweeping S lines , called the zülfe, flowing east to west like the winds across the growing Empire. The lines to the right of the tughra are called hançer and signify a sword, symbol of power and might. The area within the sere or base loop is where the actual signature of the Sultan would reside. It also is the most variable as it changes from one sultan to the next. This is the area on which to concentrate on when attempting to separate one Sultan’s tughra from another. A mark called the ayar. The ayar offers only the fineness digits 90 in Arabic, for silver, and may be present within either the loops of the beyze or as an isolated mark to the right of the zülfe
The sah mark was introduced in 1844, during the reign of Sultan Abdülmecid. On silver it is a second confirmation of a 900 minimum fineness. Generally struck alongside the tughra, the sah mark may also be stamped on attached components as a secondary confirmation of consistent fineness. In 1923 Turkey transitioned from being an Empire to a Republic, 2nd silver standard of 800 was introduced. The Sultan’s tughra was removed and replaced by the new Turkish Republican silver hallmark of the crescent moon. Maintained was the sah mark in the same form as from the Ottoman period, one for the 1st standard and one for the 2nd standard
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tughra
Peter.
Source World Hallmarks Volume II, Asia, Middle East, Africa, Hallmark Research Institute