The 17in (44cm) shallow dish – produced at the very advent of the art form in the 1480s – is a lost sibling to four similar large dishes made during the reign of Mehmet II (‘the Conqueror’) that were published in Nurhan Atasoy and Julian Raby’s landmark book Iznik: The Pottery of Ottoman Turkey (1989).
These early wares are characterised by an inky, blue-black colouring – roughly two decades before a brighter cobalt blue was accomplished.
‘Debbane charger’
The so-called ‘Debbane charger’ was formerly owned by the bibliophile and businessman Max Debbane (1893-1965), who patronised many institutions in the town of his birth, Alexandria, as well as serving as president of the Archaeological Society.
Now consigned from an American private collection, the estimate on October 24 is £300,000-500,000.
This season’s ‘Islamic Week’ includes sales from Sotheby’s, Bonhams, Christie’s, Chiswick Auctions and Roseberys.
