Artophorion

This church-shaped wooden artophorion with mother-of-pearl and tortoise-shell inlay has a top shaped like a dome flanked by two tiny satellite domes over a projecting drum. The arched door, ahich hasa small loop for opening, is decorated with a foliate cross framed by four cherubs and foliate scrolls. The other tree sides are decorated with a chessboard motif. The artophorion is used for keeping Eucharistic bread reserved for exceptional circumstances and is usually placed in the middle of the altar table, where it is flanked by a pair of rhipidia.Reference: Pitarakis, B., - C., Merantzas, A Treasured Memory Ecclesiastical Silver From Late Ottoman Istanbul in the Sevgi Gönül Collection, Sadberk Hanım Museum Publication, İstanbul 2006, p. 144.