The Vilgort Silver Bowl

The Vilgort bowl is a silver bowl made in the 12th–13th centuries in Cilician Armenia. It was found in 1925 in the village of Vilgort in the Ural region. According to the source, the find shows that in the Middle Ages Armenian merchants and statesmen had close ties with the far north and with Kievan Rus.

The photograph shows the golden central part of the bowl. In the relief a crowned man plays a stringed instrument; beside him stands a long-haired figure, and around them are birds and small animals. The source suggests the king is probably Levon the Magnificent.

Today the bowl is kept in the Hermitage in Saint Petersburg.