Lot 133. A rare Ming pencase made for the Ottoman market, China and Ottoman Turkey, late 16th century, 9¼in. (23.5cm.) long. EstimateGBP 80,000 - GBP 120,000 (USD 120,000 - USD 180,000). Price realised GBP 92,500 (USD 147,260). © Christie's Images Ltd 2013

Of rectangular form with rounded ends and separate lid, the white ground decorated in cobalt-blue, the body with a register of scrolling vine issuing small leaves and large lotus flowers, above this a band of stylized cloud-bands, the lid similarly decorated with a central lotus panel surrounded by stylized cloud-bands, the design accented in the Ottoman period with small gilt flowerheads set with turquoise, the interior set with a small seperate porcelain inkwell and apertures for other writing implements, minor chips.

Note: Travelling through Anatolia in 1331, Ibn Battuta (1304-1377) noted the strong taste of Ottomans for fine Chinese porcelain. The present collection in the Topkapi Musuem consists mostly of Yuan, Ming and Qing pieces - the largest group of which is the blue and white porcelain (T.Misugi, Chinese Porelain Collections in the Near East. Topkapi and Ardebil, Vol.II, Hong Kong, 1981, p.22). Many of these Chinese porcelains went on to inspire the luxury ceramics produced at the Ottoman and Safavid courts. Both designs and forms were frequently imitated and re-interpreted by local potters. However as well as exporting their own wares which delighted and inspired the craftsmen of the Islamic world, the Chinese also produced large quantities of blue-and-white ceramics in 'Islamic' forms, especially with that market in mind. Huqqa bases for instance were clearly produced for an Indian audience (for an example in this sale see lot 194). Pen boxes, such as the one offered here, revive the shape of brass pen boxes which originated in medieval Iran and later became popular in Egypt and Syria.

Calligraphy was an important Turkish art form and calligraphers were held in the highest esteem at the Ottoman court. Calligrapher's tools were regarded as works of art in their own right, appropriate for the aesthetic value of the writing for which they were employed. Pen boxes were made of and decorated in precious materials. Boxes of similar shape to ours are found in Iznik pottery (see an example in the British Museum, inv. G.1983.7, David J. Roxburgh (ed.), Turks. A Journey of A Thousand Years, 600-1600, exhibition catalogue, London, 2005, no.343, pp.358 and 463) as well as in rock crystal (a heavily gem-set pair of which are in the Topkapi palace, J.M. Rogers (trans. and ed.), The Topkapi Saray Museum. The Treasury, Boston, 1987, no.59). 

This Ming pen box was modified on its arrival in Turkey to suit the taste of the Ottoman court. The palace jeweller overlaid the original decoration of the box with gold and turquoise to lend it a more opulent appearance. It is one of a number of examples of Chinese blue and white porcelains so embellished by Ottoman craftsmen and is an attestation to the high regard in which these foreign imports were held. A 15th century Ming pen box, heavily decorated with gold and rubies in the Ottoman court, is now in the Topkapi Saray Museum (2/894, Esin Atil, The Age of Sultan Süleyman the Magnificent, exhibition catalogue, Washington, 1987, no.68, p135). On both our pen box and that in the Topkapi, the inlay more or less follows the cobalt decoration, enhancing the centre of the lotus flowers and some of the small buds between them. 

The interior of the Topkapi Ming pen box was further adapted in Turkey to serve the Ottoman calligrapher. The box was fitted with two jade and gold inkwells, enhanced with rubies, diamonds and emeralds, as well as a 'pounce box' and a compartment for pens. However other boxes, including ours and a similar example in the David Collection, have porcelain interiors with defined areas for the various tools, all similarly decorated to the exterior, demonstrating that the Chinese potters began to adapt to the Islamic shape to hold their ink, paints and brushes - an interesting cross-cultural transaction (Atil, op.cit., 1987, p.136).