Lot 109 Property from the Collection of the Late John Turner (1901-1971). A group of three monochrome wares, Song dynasty (960-1279). Height of tallest 10.7 cm. Lot Sold 1,200 EUR (Estimate 3,000-4,000 EUR). © Sotheby's 2024

Lot 115. A Jun blue-glazed dish, Song dynasty (960-1279). Diameter 18 cm. Lot Sold 7,200 EUR (Estimate 8,000-12,000 EUR). © Sotheby's 2024

Lot 116. A Northern black-glazed tea bowl and a small carved 'Yaozhou' saucer, Song dynasty (960-1279). Diameter of larger 13 cm. Lot Sold 3,120 EUR (Estimate 4,000-6,000 EUR). © Sotheby's 2024

Lot 117. A carved 'Tongan' celadon-glazed 'floral' bowl, Song dynasty (960-1279). Diameter 14.5 cm. Lot Sold 1,800 EUR (Estimate 3,000-5,000 EUR). © Sotheby's 2024

Lot 106. Property from the Collection of the Late John Turner (1901-1971). A ‘Jun’ blue-glazed bowl and a Ge-type bottle vase, Yuan-Ming dynasty (1279-1644). Height of taller 23.5 cm (2). Lot Sold 1,200 EUR (Estimate 3,000-4,000 EUR). © Sotheby's 2024

Provenance : Jun bowl: Metropolitan Museum, New York (by family repute).
Acquired when deaccessioned from the Museum, ca. 1935, thence by family descent.

Lot 110. Property from the Collection of the Late John Turner (1901-1971). Two large Longquan celadon-glazed dishes, Ming dynasty (1279-1644). Diameter of larger 33.8 cm, the base of one dish with a waqf mark (religious endowment) (2). Lot Sold 2,400 EUR (Estimate 4,000-6,000 EUR). © Sotheby's 2024

Provenance : Collection of John Turner (1901-1970), and thence by family descent. 

Note: Of wide diameter with deep fluted sides and upturned flattened rim, the present lot is typical of Longquan celadon wares produced in the late 13th and early 14th centuries for an Islamic market. Three sets of drilled dot inscriptions adorn the base of one of the dishes. Dots of this type arranged in similar geometric patterns are found on many pieces in major Islamic collections and were likely used to indicate the identities of former owners. An identical three dot pattern, for example, appears on thirty-seven celadon pieces in the Topkapi Saray Museum, see Regina Krahl, Chinese Ceramics in the Topkapi Saray Museum, Istanbul, London, 1986, vol. I, pp. 125-30. Carved into the same base are two Arabic inscriptions, one reading “A’zam Khan”, which are generally considered to be waqf (religious endowment) marks, used to record the dedication of a piece to a ruler or local official. Compare similarly rendered waqf marks found on all but thirty-one surviving pieces in the Ardebil Shrine in modern-day Iran, see John Alexander Pope, Chinese Porcelains from the Ardebil Shrine, Washington, D.C., 1956, pp. 51-8. At least two other dishes bearing a dedication to A'zam Khan have been sold in our rooms: one in Hong Kong, 16th May 1977, lot 26; the other in London 13th December 1988, lot 127. 

Lot 111. A silver-mounted 'Longquan' celadon-glazed ewer and a celadon-glazed jar and cover, Ming dynasty, 15th-16th century. Height of taller 23 cm (3). Lot Sold 15,600 EUR (Estimate 5,000-7,000 EUR). © Sotheby's 2024

Lot 113. A Ge-style chrysanthemum-shaped dish, Late Ming dynasty. Diameter 19 cm. Lot Sold 1,920 EUR (Estimate 1,500-2,500 EUR). © Sotheby's 2024

Sotheby's. Asian Art / 5000 Years, Paris, 12 December 2024