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Stefanos Lagonicos Stefanos Lagonicos was a member of the wealthy Greek community of Alexandria whose family settled in Egypt in the late 19th century. His collection of 47 pieces of Iznik ceramics was formed after the First World War, comprising mostly plates and jugs from the classic (post 1570) period. At least six pieces from the Collection were included in the important 1925 Exposition d'Art Musulman in Alexandria. The Lagonicos collection remained intact, surviving as a group until its sale in Monaco in 1991. Stefanos left Egypt for Switzerland in 1937, just before the rise of nationalism and the abolition of the Capitulations. His son Jean, an importer of dried fruits and nuts from the Levant in Marseilles, inherited most of the collection, which he kept in obscurity at his house in Provence until its dispersal at auction in 1991.

AN IZNIK POTTERY DISH

OTTOMAN TURKEY, CIRCA 1580

Details

AN IZNIK POTTERY DISH
OTTOMAN TURKEY, CIRCA 1580
With sloping slightly cusped rim on short foot, the white interior with alternating blue peony sprays and red split-leaves enclosing blue palmettes, radiating around central blue and green rosette with red petals, the rim with stylized blue wave and rock motif, the exterior with alternating paired tulip and flowerhead, two short hairline cracks to rim, very slight chips to rim, rim and foot drilled
13¾in. (35.2cm.) diam.

Provenance

Stefanos Lagonico, Alexandria, by 1925, thence by descent until sold by his heirs in these Rooms, 19 October 1995, lot 314

Literature

Gaston Migeon: Les Arts Musulmans, exhbition catalogue, Alexandria, 1925, pl.29 and p.12.

Exhibited

Les Arts Musulmans, Alexandria, 1925.

Special notice

No VAT will be charged on the hammer price, but VAT at 17.5% will be added to the buyer's premium, which is invoiced on a VAT inclusive basis.

Lot Essay

The dominant red split palmettes dividing the floral sprays and enclosing a blue palmette link this dish to a large example in the Wallace Collection where this motif is used in the border (William Robinson:'And a Peacock in a Saz Tree', Apollo, September 1989, vol.CXXX, no.331, pp.166ff.) and a penbox in the Louvre Museum, Paris (Atil, Esin.: The Age of Sultan Süleyman the Magnificent, exhibition catalogue, Washington D.C., 1987, pl.193, p.268). The same motif is used as the major feature of tiles, again enclosing a blue palmette such as a group in the Victoria and Albert Museum, inv.no.C2005-1910. A simpler version of the field design of this dish was on an example sold in these Rooms 10 October 1989, lot 373.

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