Longquan Celadon Plate with Lotus Spray & Provenance

A good Longquan celadon barb-rimmed plate, 14th-early 15th century, an incised lotus spray in the centre, the segmented cavetto with lotus flowers on the inside and exterior, covered in a good even olive-green glaze, a firing ring on the base, 13.58 in. diameter, please see John Ayers and Regina Krahl, 'Chinese Ceramics in the Topkapi Saray Museum', catalogue One, 1986, pp. 152, 292 and 298 for similar examples. Provenance: From collection of Dick Austin, AO, OBE (1919-2000). Dick Austin, AO, OBE (1919-2000) was a truly remarkable man. He served as an officer during World War II and was a POW from 1942 – 1945, in a camp near the Burma railway, working as a translator after teaching himself Japanese. In 1952 he joined the Department of Foreign Affairs, joining the Japanese Embassy in Tokyo. It was that posting which sparked his passionate interest in Asian art and culture. He was later sent to Jakarta but also spent time in London and in the USA. In 1979 he was appointed as Chairman of Trustees at the National Gallery of Victoria. In 1985 he and his wife moved to Buderim in Queensland, where he became Chairman of the Art Gallery board from 1987 – 1995. During this period he was also Sotheby’s Queensland representative