A CELADON JADE 'TURTLE' SEAL, 17TH CENTURYChina. The square seal surmounted by a turtle standing foursquare, its minuscule head almost entirely retreated into the large shell with neatly incised carapace, the tail trailing to the ground, the seal face left plain. The translucent stone of a celadon tone with russet veins, dark specks, and cloudy white inclusions.Provenance: Adrian M. Joseph, c. 2003. British private collection, acquired from the above. Adrian Malcolm Joseph started studying and collecting Chinese ceramics during the late 1950s. He published various important papers and books including Ming Porcelains: Their Origins and Development (1971) and Chinese and Annamese Ceramics found in the Philippines and Indonesia (1973). He and his wife Phyllis began collecting Japanese art in the late 1960s, initially acquiring ceramics from important dealers such as Shimojo in Tokyo. Joseph became a Director of Hugh Moss Ltd. in the 1970s.Condition: Very good condition with minor wear, minuscule nicks, natural weathering.Weight: 42.7 gDimensions: Size 2.8 x 2.8 x 2.6 cmAuction result comparison: Compare a related black and gray jade seal of a tortoise, 3 cm high, dated Ming dynasty or earlier, at Christie's New York in The Collection of Robert Hatfield Ellsworth Part IV on 20 March 2015, lot 739,sold for USD 6,000 (part lot, together with a brown jade seal depicting a mythical beast). Compare a white jade seal depicting a bixi, 4 cm wide, dated to the late Ming dynasty, at Christie's Hong Kong in The Pavilion Sale on 6 October 2015, lot 47,sold for HKD 68,750.十七世紀青玉龜鈕印中國。方形印上雕刻龜形鈕，小小的腦袋幾乎完全縮進了龜殼裡，甲殼整齊切割，尾巴垂在地上。印面光滑，青色半透明玉石，帶有赤褐色的脈紋和白色絮狀物。來源: Adrian M. Joseph, 約2003年；英國私人收藏，購於上述收藏；Adrian Malcolm Joseph 在 1950 年代後期開始研究和收集中國陶瓷。 他發表了多篇重要論文和著作，包括《Ming Porcelains: Their Origins and Development》（1971）和《Chinese and Annamese Ceramics found in the Philippines and Indonesia》（1973）。 他和他的妻子Phyllis在 1960 年代後期開始收集日本藝術品，最初是從東京的 Shimojo 等重要經銷商處購買陶瓷。 Joseph 在 1970 年代成為 Hugh Moss Ltd. 的董事。品相: 狀況極好，輕微磨損，小劃痕，自然風化。 重量: 42.7 克 尺寸: 2.8 x 2.8 x 2.6 厘米拍賣結果比較: 比較一件相近的明代或更早的灰白玉雕龜鈕印，高3 厘米 ，見紐約佳士得 The Collection of Robert Hatfield Ellsworth Part IV 2015年3月20日 lot 739,售價USD 6,000 (與另一件褐色瑞獸鈕玉印一起)；比較一件明末白玉雕瑞獸，寬 4 厘米，見香港佳士得The Pavilion Sale 2015年10月 6日 lot 47,售價HKD 68,750。