Armenian Church Alms Dish, Engraved Copper Charger

A large 19th-century Armenian Christian church alms dish, hand-engraved in copper and originating from the historic Trabzon region of Anatolia. This substantial charger is a surviving example of ecclesiastical metalwork made by Armenian artisans working within the Ottoman Empire. Dishes of this scale served for alms presentation, ceremonial display, or wall-mounted devotional focus within church settings.

The surface is densely engraved: a central bishop-saint figure holding a cross-surmounted staff and a book, winged angelic attendants at his base, and a continuous rim procession of apostolic and holy figures, many carrying books or scrolls. One figure is associated with a bird motif, most likely referencing the Evangelist John and his traditional eagle. A scene along the rim appears to depict the Baptism of Christ. Additional cross motifs unify the composition.

The engraving style, figural proportions, and thematic program favor the Armenian Apostolic tradition over the Greek. The absence of a halo and the stylized execution suggest a regional Armenian workshop interpretation rather than strict Byzantine canonical rendering; the central figure is likely a bishop-saint, plausibly Saint Gregory the Illuminator or a comparable church father.

Diameter approximately 48.9 cm (19¼ inches).