Lot 85. Naga ring, Burma, second half 18th century. Estimate 4,000 — 6,000 GBP. Lot sold 5,000 GBP. Photo: Sotheby's

partially enamelled gold, set with rubies - ring size: L - ring exterior diameter (including dragon head): 30mm., 1 3/16 in.

Note: These impressive and rare dragon rings have been a feature of all the great ring collections, including the Harari, Guilhou, Spitzer, Franks, and Koch collections. They are known as 'Naga rings' because they are thought to represent the naga dragon which is thought to have sheltered the Buddha during a prolonged period of meditation. Chadour suggests that these rings were made for Royalty. (op.cit.) The extravagant design certainly re-enforces the idea that they were made for lavish ceremonial use. Another example is in the British Museum (op.cit., no. 2422).

The present ring comes from the same collection as that sold on 9 July 2015, lot 121.

RELATED LITERATURE: O.M. Dalton, Catalogue of the finger rings, cat. British Museum, London, 1912, no. 2422; J. Boardman and D. Scarisbrick, The Ralph Harari collection of finger rings, London, 1978, p. 88, no. 214; A. B. Chadour, Rings: The Alice and Louis Koch collection, Leeds, 1994, vol. II, p. 620, no. 1955.

Sotheby's. Old Master Sculpture and Works of Art Including Highlights from the Reinhold Hofstätter Collection, London, 06 Dec 2016

Bowl with incised lotus scrolls, Ming dynasty (1368-1644), Xuande six-character mark and of the period (1426-1435). China, Jingdezhen, Jiangxi province0 Glazed porcelain with incised decoration.  H. 4 1/8 in x Diam. 7 7/8 in, H. 10.5 cm x Diam. 20 cm. The Avery Brundage Collection, B60P1640. © 2016 Asian Art Museum Chong-Moon Lee Center for Asian Art and Culture

In Ming imperial porcelain, traditional glazes in red, white, blue, celadon green, pale blue, and so on were retained on wares for daily use, ceremonies, or interior display. Certain ancient types among Song official productions (960 –1279)were continuously copied. Ming official factories never stopped experimenting with varieties of new glazes, strains, and decorative devices to maintain porcelain's dominance over other ceremonial materials. A group of tablewares from the Avery Brundage collection illustrates four types of monochrome glazes produced in the Ming imperial factories in Jingdezhen from the early fifteenth through the sixteenth centuries. The Yongle emperor chose the color white and Islamic metalwork–inspired forms to be used at altars and imperial temples. The fifteenth-century white glaze, soupy and smooth, is known as "sweet white."

The dark blue glaze, favored by earlier Mongol rulers, was successfully reproduced during the Xuande period. Blue was often used in ritual celebrations on sacrificial altars. Eloquent names, such as "gemstone blue" and "celestial blue," were documented. 
Yellow, viewed as a noble color, became fashionable in the late fifteenth century. This low-fire glaze could cover a previously fired white glaze for refiring, or coat a clay body for only one firing. The yellow wares presented to the Chenghua and Zhengde courts exhibit a delicate body and refined texture with sensitive color tone, winning the admirable description "chicken fat."

The brown glaze resulted from an experiment in the Xuande reign, when official porcelain manufacturers attempted to re-create the brown glaze of a type of ancient Ding ware that had once been presented to the Northern Song court. On Ming imperial porcelain, brown glaze that glimmered on the surface with a shiny metallic luster was called "purple gold," after the description for brown Song Ding ware. Matte brown glaze was referred to as "soybean paste."

Bowl with lotus petals, Ming dynasty (1368-1644), Reign of the Xuande emperor (1426-1435). China, Jiangxi province. Glazed porcelain with incised decoration. H. 3 1/2 in x Diam. 6 in, H. 8.7 cm x Diam. 15.3 cm. The Avery Brundage Collection, B60P1705. © 2016 Asian Art Museum Chong-Moon Lee Center for Asian Art and Culture

This shape is called the "chicken heart bowl" in Chinese, for its tapered body with a nipple on the bottom resembles a small chicken heart. It was one of the most popular forms of the Yongle-Xuande period and was reproduced often throughout later periods. The interior was incised with a floral band around the lip and with a four-paneled blossom motif at the bottom. A meandering band encircles the outer rim, and lotus petals over a band of wavy patterns surround the body. A rare specimen of this type with the imperial mark written in underglaze-blue around the rim is in the collection of the Idemitsu Museum, Tokyo (Osaka Mus. 1995: pl. 227). This piece, with its glaze marked by the "orange peel" scattered within tiny patches, is considered to date to the Xuande period when such glazes were typical.

Lot 75. Attributed to Georg Pfründt (circa 1603-1663), Southern German, 17th century, The Rothschild Nef. Estimate 250,000 — 350,000 GBP. Lot sold 344,750 GBP. Photo: Sotheby's

ivory - height: 38.2cm., 15in. - length: 31.7cm., 12½in. 

Provenance: Oskar Dieter Alex von Rosenberg-Rédé, 3rd Baron von Rosenberg-Redé (1922-2004) or Guy Édouard Alphonse Paul de Rothschild, Baron de Rothschild (1908-2007), Hôtel Lambert or Château de Ferrières, Paris;
their sale Sotheby's, Monaco, May 26, 1975, lot 129;
The British Rail Pension Fund;
its sale, Sotheby's, London, 4 July 1996, lot 80;
acquired at the above sale by A. Alfred Taubman

Note: This extraordinary and highly important Nef can be attributed to Georg Pfründt, one of the greatest 17th-century German ivory carvers. With its superb rhythmic play of entwined, expressive, mythological figures, it exhibits all of the hallmarks of Pfründt's virtuoso technique. The ambitious scale and complexity of the Rothschild Nef, together with its exceptional quality, ranks it alongside the finest works attributed to Pfründt, whilst epitomising the Baroque fascination with natural and technical wonders.

This extraordinary and highly important Nef can be attributed to Georg Pfründt, one of the greatest 17th-century German ivory carvers. With its superb rhythmic play of entwined, expressive, mythological figures, it exhibits all of the hallmarks of Pfründt's virtuoso technique. The ambitious scale and complexity of the Rothschild Nef, together with its exceptional quality, ranks it alongside the finest works attributed to Pfründt, whilst epitomising the Baroque fascination with natural and technical wonders.

The Rothschild Nef can be attributed to the 17th-century German ivory carver, wax-modeller, medallist, and engraver, Georg Pfründt, on the basis of a comparison with works attributed to the sculptor and to his circle in the Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna, and the Bayerisches Nationalmuseum, Munich. In form, as well as quality, it is particularly close to the Nef with ivory elements attributed to Pfründt in the Kunsthistorisches Museum (inv no. KK 4525) (see Sabine Haag's cataloguing in which she confirms the authorship, op. cit., pp. 88-97). This Nef has a cup with a very similarly conceived and executed ivory cup with writhing figures of bearded men and youthful women, entwined in drapery, and set against the same reeded low-relief background. An accompanying charger with ivory reliefs also attributed to Pfründt (inv. no. KK 4459; see Haag., op. cit., pp. 88-97) shows similarly conceived representations of women, with broad faces with hair centrally parted and tied behind the head. These features concurrently recall figures by Pfründt's master Leonhard Kern, such as his Three Graces in the Württembergisches Landesmuseum, Stuttgart (inv. no. 1981-5); the bearded men in the present Nef likewise reference works by Kern, such as the Chronos sold in these rooms on 5 July 2016, lot 108. These classicising features are seen again in Pfründt's Ceres in Vienna (inv. no. KK 45040), with similar heavy drapery, with multiple folds. For the bearded male figures with prominent musculature and thick locks of hair, see the Raubgruppe published by Theuerkauff, again in Vienna (1974, op. cit., p. 85, fig. 40). Further comparison can be made to works associated with Pfründt in the Bayerisches Nationalmuseum, including a tankard drum from his circle with Poseidon and Amphitrite (inv. no. R 4752). The Rothschild Nef, one of Pründt's most ambitious commissions, represents an important addition to his oeuvre.

Georg Pfründt was born in Franconia and trained in the workshop of the great ivory carver Leonhard Kern (1588-1662). He later studied to be an engineer under Johann Caspar von Stadion (1556-1641), and eventually worked for Bernhard, Herzog von Saxe-Weimar. Pfründt moved to Strasbourg in 1639, and he went on to work in Paris with the French sculptor and medallist Jean Warin (1604-1672). Returning to Germany circa 1646-1649, Pfründt collaborated with Georg Schweigger and Christoph Ritter III (1610-1676) on a triumphal arch for Leopold I in Nuremberg, and eventually worked in the service of Charles Ludwig, Elector Palatine (reg 1649-1680) from 1659, and, later, for Duke Eberhard VIII of Württemberg (reg 1628-1674) in Stuttgart. He died in Durlach, near Karlsruhe, in 1663.

The present Nef would have been intended for a princely or noble kunstkammer, in which it would have been celebrated as both a natural wonder and a triumph of human industry. The 17th-century kunstkammer (or art chamber) developed out of the medieval treasury and, in turn, the Renaissance studiolo. The term is first recorded in 1550 in relation to the Holy Roman Emperor Ferdinand I (1503-1564) and his collection of precious objects and curiosities. In 1565, the Flemish writer Samuel von Quiccheberg differentiated between the kunstkammer, an art chamber, and the wunderkammer, a place of natural wonders (mirabilia). Over the course of the ensuing decades the two were conflated and the kunstkammer became a cabinet of natural and artificial wonders, from fine bronzes and paintings to uncarved gems and animal specimens. Kunstkammern were a source of social and intellectual prestige, with two of the finest belonging to the Emperor Ferdinand II (1578-1637) at Schloss Ambras and the Emperor Rudolf II (1552-1612) at Prague Castle. In the 17th century there came about a particular vogue for superbly worked objet d'arts in amber, rhinoceros horn, and, particularly, elephant and marine ivory; the present Nef would have been conceived precisely to appeal to this taste.

RELATED LITERATURE: C. Theuerkauff (ed.), Elfenbein: Sammlung Reiner Winkler, Munich 1984, pp. 112-114, nos. 59-60; Collecting Treasures of the Past VII, exh. cat. Julius Böhler and Blumka Gallery, New York, 26th January - 10th February 2012, no. 48; R. Berliner, Die Bildwerke des Bayerisches Nationalmuseums, Munich, 1926, p. 61, nos. 220, 227-229, 236, 871, pls. 128-130, 140, 143; J. Thinesse, Appendix zum Elfenbein, Katalog Rudolf Berliner, Munich, 1977; C. Theuerkauff, 'Pfründt', Anzeiger des Germanischen Nationalmuseums, Nuremberg, 1974, pp. 58-104; H. Siebenmorgen, Leonhard Kern (1588-1662). Meisterwerke der Bildhauerei für Kunstkammern Europas, Sigmaringen, 1988, pp. 80-1,  252-3, figs. 10, 131; S. Haag, Meisterwerke der Elfenbeinkunst, cat. Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna, 2007, pp. 88-97, nos. 26-30

Sotheby's. Old Master Sculpture and Works of Art Including Highlights from the Reinhold Hofstätter Collection, London, 06 Dec 2016

Lot 89. Ignaz Elhafen (1658-1715), After Pietro da Cortona (1596/7-1669), Austrian, circa 1680-1685, Relief with Xenophon's Sacrifice to Diana. Estimate 80,000 — 120,000 GBP. Lot sold 168,750 GBP. Photo: Sotheby's

initialled and located: I. E. ROMA - ivory, within an 18th/19th-century glazed ebonised wood, gilt metal and ivory frame with metal mounts - relief: 14.8 by 25.6cm., 5¾ by 10 1/8 in. - frame: 26 by 36.6cm., 10¼ by 14 3/8 in.. 

Provenance: Anselm Salomon Freiherr von Rothschild (1803-1874), Vienna;
private collection, Dusseldorf, circa 1900

Miterature: F. Schestag, Katalog der Kunstsammlung des Freiherrn Anselm von Rothschild in Wien, vol. I, Vienna, 1866,  p. 22, no. 156;
C. Theuerkauff, 'Der "Helffenbeinarbeiter" Ignaz Elhafen', Wiener Jahrbuch für Kunstgeschichte, XXI, 1968, p. 124,  fig. 97;
C. Theuerkauff, Studien für Elfenbeinplastik des Barock: Matthias Rauchmiller und Ignaz Elhafen, diss. University of Freiburg, Breisgau,1962, pp. 100-101, 124, no. 28, fig. 97;
C. Theuerkauff, 'Baroque ivories from the collection of Anselm Salomon von Rothschild in Vienna', Apollo, February, 2003, pp. 19, 25, no. 32, fig. 28;
Marburg Photo Index, no. 1.008235, as the Marriage at Cana

Note: Christian Theuerkauff has described the present relief as one of Elhafen's earliest works 'datable around 1680-1685 and in consequence of particular significance for ...[his]  stylistic development' (Theurkauff, 2003, op. cit., p. 19). The ivory is exceptionally well carved and is undoubtedly one of the most important Elhafen reliefs to have been offered on the international art market. It is representative of the sculptor's oeuvre, in following a celebrated Roman model, in this case Pietro da Cortona's lost Xenophon's Sacrifice to Diana, formerly in the Palazzo Barberini, and exhibits the extraordinary technical abilities which mark Elhafen out as one of the great baroque Austrian ivory carvers.

Pietro da Cortona was commissioned to paint his Xenophon's Sacrifice to Diana by Cardinal Francesco Barberini (1597-1679), the eldest nephew of Pope Urban VIII Barberini. It was engraved by Pietro Aquila in 1653 and published with the description: Xenophon's Sacrifice to Diana after the Hunt. The painting has, however, often been described generically as A Sacrifice to Diana, including in inventories of the Barberini collection. Elhafen's relief is almost certainly taken from Aquila's print, since it similarly shows the composition in reverse to the original. The scene shows a heavily draped priest (ostensibly Xenophon) crowned in laurels and encircled by attendants, making a sacrifice to the goddess Diana, an effigy of whom stands within a circular shallow-domed temple in the background. To the left there is a column surmounted with spolia, partly obscured by devotees of the goddess who bring offerings to the priest. In the distance, flames rising from a brazier, to which a sacrificial bull is led. 

Pietro da Cortona probably executed the painting circa 1631, as research in 1970 uncovered a payment in that year for a frame for the masterpiece. Prior to the discovery of the payment for the frame in 1631, it had been suggested that the work was commissioned specifically to commemorate the 1653 marriage of Maffeo Barberini (Cardinal Francesco Barberini's nephew) to Olympia Pamphilj Giustiniani. Just as Xenophon had returned to a Greece from exile in Asia, the new marriage alliance ended the feud between the Pamphilj and the Barberini, the latter having been driven into exile in France by Pope Innocent X Pamphilj in the 1640's. This theory was discounted following the frame discovery, though it may explain the timing of the publication of Aquila's print. Sadly, the painting was acquired from the Barberini by Hans Posse in 1941 for Adolf Hitler's Führermuseum in Linz and never seen again, presumably destroyed during the Second World War. A preparatory drawing survives in the Victoria and Albert Museum, London (inv. no. DYCE.200).

Da Cortona, Pietro; Roman sacrifice (to Diana?); A priest slaying a bull; and a second sacrifice of a goat, before the Temple of Mars; Pen and bistre, washed and heightened with white; Signed; Italian; 1615-1669. Victoria and Albert Museum, London (inv. no. DYCE.200) © Victoria and Albert Museum, London 2016.

In the present ivory Elhafen has brilliantly and faithfully translated Pietro da Cortona's composition into sculptural form, through a masterful technical execution of high and low relief, with the figures in the foreground almost carved fully in the round, those in the mid-ground in high relief, and those behind retreating into virtuoso miniaturistic low relief carving. The figures are typical of the sculptor's oeuvre, exhibiting many of his characteristic stylistic traits identified by Theuerkauff. Note the same heavy limbs, almond shaped eyes, pointed noses and drapery which appears 'as if modelled in clay and clinging to the body' (Theuerkauff, 1962, op. cit., p. 289). In the foreground, observe the woman on the far left with her hair tied behind the head with pearls running through it. Each of these characteristics are equally evident in another early work by Elhafen, his tankard with the Rape of the Sabines in the Victoria and Albert Museum (inv. no. A.3-1959). Elhafen's ingenuity and ability as an ivory carver is most apparent in the way that he has cleverly concealed a natural small split in the ivory by incorporating it into the cracks running through the columns of the temple of Diana in Aquila's engraving.

Tankard, ivory, the Rape of the Sabine Women, by Ignaz Elhafen (1658- ca. 1715), German, probably carved in Vienna, ca. 1697-1704 (mounts dated 1792). Victoria and Albert Museum (inv. no. A.3-1959) © Victoria and Albert Museum, London 2016.

Elhafen is famed for his reliefs carved after great paintings documenting Roman history or mythology. He appears to have enjoyed using Pietro Aquila's print sources, particularly those after Pietro da Cortona. He produced ivories taken from and inspired by the painter's works, including his Rape of the Sabines (see Schmidt, et al, op. cit., pp. 286-287, no. 101). Note also Elhafen's Relief of Alexander the Great Defeating Darius at the Battle of Arbela in the Liechtenstein collections (inv. no. 533), taken from the panoramic canvas with the same subject in the Palazzo dei Conservatori, Rome (Liechtenstein, op. cit., no. 71, pp. 108-112). The sculptor's fascination with Roman subject matter reflects his early training in Italy, which evidently commanded a strong influence throughout his career. The inscription ROMA on the present ivory underscores not merely the fact that it was almost certainly carved in Rome, but also that Elhafen wished his reputation to be associated with the Eternal City.

Ignaz Elhafen, The Battle of Alexander and Darius, 1680/1690. Ivory, height 14,5 cm, width 25,5 cm, signed on bottom left: I.E.; Inv.-No. SK533. Liechtenstein, The Princely Collections.

The present ivory comes from one of the most important ivory collections amassed in the 19th century: that of Anselm Salomon Freiherr von Rothschild (1803-1874). The grandson of Mayer Amschel (1744-1812), Anselm Salomon was the son of Salomon Mayer Rothschild (1774-1855), who was one of the 'four arrows' and a close supporter of Metternich. Theuerkauff describes him as being 'addicted to collecting' and observes that it was 'his delight in things, in valuable objects, and the rarity and virtuosity inherent in great works of art, together with his consciousness of social advancement they could foster, that inspired him in a passion for pieces composed of inherently precious materials, plainly in conscious competition with the Imperial Habsburg Kunstkammer' (2003, op. cit., p. 15). The core of the groupn was acquired in Vienna between 1849 and 1866, with many of the pieces having come from the collections of Prince Karl Eusebius von Liechtenstein (1611-1684). As well as reliefs by Elhafen, the collection included a magnificent Ceremonial Horn attributed to Johann Georg Kern in the Württembergisches Landesmuseum, Stuttgart; two Hercules groups attributed to the exceptionally rare Master of the Martyrdom of St Sebastian; several masterpieces by Adam Lenckhart; Leonhard Kern's Expulsion from Paradise now in the Museum für Kunst und Gewerbe, Hamburg; and important works by sculptors including Balthasar Griessmann and Antonio Leoni, Elhafen's peer at the court of the Elector Palatine in Düsseldorf. Theuerkauff lists a total of seven works by Elhafen in the collection, including the present relief and the Victoria and Albert Museum's Covered tankard with the rape of the Sabines (discussed above; inv. no. A.3-1959). This is out of a portion of 35 ivories catalogued by Theuerkauff from a total 98 baroque ivories and rhinoceros horn objects recorded in the collection. Theurkauff concludes that Anselm Soloman's obsession led to the creation of what was 'in truth a princely collection' (op. cit., p 22). On his death in 1874, the ivories, together with other works, passed to his sons Albert Salomon Anselm (1844-1911) and Nathaniel Mayer Anselm (1836-1905). Many of these were inherited by the latter's niece, Clarisse Sebag-Montefiore, and, together with the collections of other family members, were confiscated by the Nazis on 13 March 1938. These were subsequently returned to the family, with many then being taken to the United States.

Ignaz Elhafen initially trained in Innsbruck and is believed to have been working in Italy between circa 1675 and 1678. He is known to have worked in Vienna, where he was responsible for a series of reliefs for the Prince of Liechtenstein. Elhafen subsequently settled in Düsseldorf, where he entered the service of Johann II Wilhelm, Elector Palatine (1658-1716), producing small sculpture in ivory and wood. His works can be found in the greatest European public art collections, including the Bayerisches Nationalmuseum, the Kunsthistorisches Museum, the musée du Louvre, and the Victoria and Albert Museum.

 RELATED LITERATURE: M. Trusted, Baroque and Later Ivories, cat. Victoria and Albert Museum, London, 2013, pp. 11-13; E. D. Schmidt and M. Sframeli, Diafane passioni Avori barocchi dalle corti europee, exh. cat. Palazzo Pitti, Museo degli Argenti, Florence, 2013, pp. 284-297, nos. 99-107; T. Rood, 'Xenophon and the Barberini: Pietro da Cortona's Sacrifice to Diana', Journal of the Warburg and Courtauld Institutes, LXXVI, 2003

Sotheby's. Old Master Sculpture and Works of Art Including Highlights from the Reinhold Hofstätter Collection, London, 06 Dec 2016

Lot 78. Important vase archaique en jade céladon très pâle, Chine, Dynastie Qing (1644-1911). Estimate EUR 80,000 - EUR 120,000 (USD 21,162 - USD 31,742). Price realised EUR 128,500 (USD 128,500). © Christie’s Images Limited 2016.

Le vase de forme balustre à section rectangulaire repose sur un pied légèrement évasé. L'épaulement est orné de deux anses ajourées. Le corps est finement sculpté en bas-relief de taotie et têtes d'oiseau sur fond de frises géométriques ponctué de têtes de ruyi et nuages auspicieux. Le même décor se répète sur le couvercle surmonté d'une prise rectangulaire. La base est incisée d'une marque de l'empereur Qianlong à quatre caractères. La pierre est de couleur uniforme rehaussée de quelques petites inclusions blanches. Hauteur : 29.5 cm. (11 5/8 in.)

Provenance: From a private American collection.

Note: This vase is inspired by archaic bronze vases. An example with a similar design in spinach green jade can be found in the collection of the National Museum of China (see The Studies of the Collection of the National Museum of China: Jades, Shanghai, 2007, p. 338-339). The present vase is noteworthy in the quality of its jade and its impressive size (compare to another one sold at Christie's London, 10 November 2005, lot 402).

Christie's. Art d'Asie, 14 December 2016, Paris

Lot 79. Montagne en jade céladon sculpté, Chine, Dynastie Qing, époque Qianlong (1735-1796). Estimate EUR 8,000 - EUR 12,000 (USD 8,465 - USD 12,697). Price realised EUR 60,000 (USD 63,997). © Christie’s Images Limited 2016.

On y voit personnages et animaux évoluer dans un paysage de montagne escarpé planté d'arbres et de maisons. Il est inscrit d'un poème de quatre vers de l'Empereur Qianlong pour son oncle le Prince Yinxi (1711-1758) faisant référence au village utopique du Taohua yuanji (La source des fleurs de pêcher). Hauteur : 10 cm. (4 in.), socle

Provenance: From a French private collection, acquired in China circa 1900 and thence by descent..

Note: This elegant jade mountain is inscribed with a poem by Emperor Qianlong dedicated to his uncle Prince Yinxi (1711-1758), from a series of thirty six poems describing the peaks of the Huangshan mountain range originally accompanying an album depicting those landscapes by the latter. This particular poem refers to the idyllic village mentioned in famous Jin literatus Tao Yuanming's Taohua yuanji (Peach Blossom Spring) symbolising a timeless utopia.

Christie's. Art d'Asie, 14 December 2016, Paris

Plate with bundle of hidden lotuses, ca 1403-1435, Ming dynasty (1368-1644), Reign of the Yongle emperor (1403-1424)-Reign of the Xuande emperor (1426-1435), China, Jingdezhen, Jiangxi province. Glazed porcelain with incised decoration. H. 2 1/2 in x Diam. 13 1/4 in, H. 64 cm x Diam. 33.7 cm. The Avery Brundage Collection. B60P1187. © 2016 Asian Art Museum Chong-Moon Lee Center for Asian Art and Culture

Rounded rims and fluid side walls were standardized shapes by the time that the Ming dynasty jingdezhen imperial factory began production. While bundles of lotus designs placed on the interior bottom of plates flourished during the early Ming, they were more often employed on underglaze-blue or red types. The unglazed base bears reddish passages, another striking trait of early Ming wares caused by both the iron-content of the clay and the material that supported the wares during firing. Works with glazed bases sometimes also bear a reddish color around the unglazed foot edges.

Batocera hercules

Cylindera mutata

Eupholus dhuyi

Lot502. WORLD RECORD PRICE FOR A RUBY. Superb and extremely rare 25.59 carats Mogok 'pigeon blood red' ruby and diamond ring. Estimate 11,700,000 — 17,500,000 CHF. Lot sold 28,250,000 CHF. Photo: Sotheby's 2015

Set with a cushion-shaped ruby weighing 25.59 carats, between shield-shaped diamonds weighing 2.47 and 2.70 carats, signed Cartier, numbered, French assay and maker's marks, size 54, case signed Cartier.  

Accompanied by SSEF report no. 78414 and Gübelin report no. 15020105, each stating that the ruby is of Burmese origin, with no indications of heating, 'pigeon blood colour', together with appendix letters; together with gemmological reports for the diamonds.  

Notes: "The described ruby exhibits a very impressive size and weight of 25.596 ct, combined with a highly attractive colour and a fine purity. Its colour is further pronounced by its well-proportioned cutting style, resulting in vivid red hues due to multiple internal reflections. Due to complex geological formation processes rubies of such quality generally are found in small crystals and only very exceptionally in such a size as the present stone. [...]Its vivid but saturated colour, poetically referred to as pigeon blood red, is due to a combination of well-balanced trace elements in the stone, typical and characteristic for the finest rubies of Mogok. [...]Based on our records we can conclude that a natural ruby from Burma of this size and colour is extremely rare. Thus, the described gemstone with its combination of outstanding characteristics can be considered a unique treasure of nature." Excerpts from the SSEF appendix letter, 4 February 2015

"The 25.59 ct ruby described in the above mentioned Gübelin Gem Lab Report possesses a combination of outstanding characteristics. It displays a homogeneous and richly saturated 'pigeon blood red' colour, which typifies the finest of these gems. The depth of colour, combined with a high clarity and brilliance, all contribute to the beauty of the gem. The shape and finely proportioned cut provides vivid internal colour reflections. In addition, this remarkable gemstone has been spared thermal treatment." Excerpt from Gübelin appendix letter, 11 February 2015

Sotheby's. Magnificent Jewels and Noble Jewels, Genève, 12 mai 2015

Lot 460. 'The Historic Pink'.  Magnificent 8.72 carats Type IIa fancy vivid pink diamond ring. Estimate 13,650,000 — 17,500,000 CHF. Lot sold 14,810,000  CHF. Photo: Sotheby's 2015

Set with a cushion brilliant-cut fancy vivid pink diamond weighing 8.72 carats, between cushion brilliant-cut diamonds weighing 1.09 and 1.12 carats, size 52. 

Accompanied by GIA report no. 2145476525, stating that the central diamond is Fancy Vivid Pink, Natural Colour, VS2 Clarity, together with a Type IIa classification letter; and GIA report no. 2158045585 and no. 1156317506, stating that the two side diamonds are D Colour, VVS1 and VVS2 Clarity. 

Note: This exceptional vivid pink diamond was formerly in the collection of Huguette Clark, and weighed 9.00 carats, mounted in a ring by Dreicer. The ring was offered at auction in New York in 2012.  Since then there has been considerable research carried out on its history. The GIA monograph which accompanies the ring contains a summary, and excerpts are reproduced above in the additional images.

Sotheby's. Magnificent Jewels and Noble Jewels, Genève, 12 mai 2015

Lot 501. Magnificent diamond necklace, 'Ivresse', Cartier. Estimate 5,850,000 — 9,750,000 CHF. Lot sold 6,746,000 CHF. Photo: Sotheby's 2015

Designed as a cascade of diamonds, composed of brilliant-cut, pear- and marquise-shaped stones, the front accented with a floral motif and suspending a fringe of nine pear-shaped diamonds weighing 2.01, 3.21, 7.34, 12.04, 20.38, 10.25, 6.52, 3.42 and 2.25 carats, total diamond weight 190.77 carats, maximum length approximately 450mm, minimum length 420mm, signed Cartier, numbered, fitted case by Cartier. 

Accompanied by thirty GIA reports:
no. 8655871, dated 8 September 1995, stating that the 20.39 carat pear brilliant diamond is D Colour, Internally Flawless
no. 8555120, dated 26 January 1995, stating that the 12.04 carat pear brilliant diamond is D Colour, Internally Flawless
no. 8569370, dated 24 February 1995, stating that the 10.25 carat pear brilliant diamond is D Colour, Internally Flawless
no. 8425388, dated 3 March 1994, stating that the 7.34 carat pear brilliant diamond is D Colour, Internally Flawless
no. 8537973, dated 23 December 1994, stating that the 6.52 carat, pear brilliant diamond is D Colour, Internally Flawless
no. 8533103, dated 15 December 1994, stating that the 3.42 carat pear brilliant diamond is D Colour, Internally Flawless
no. 8522505, dated 28 November 1994, stating that the 3.21 carat pear brilliant diamond is D Colour, Internally Flawless
no. 8544855, dated 12 January 1995, stating that the 2.39 carat pear brilliant diamond is D Colour, Internally Flawless
no. 8630822, dated 17 July 1995, stating that the 2.32 carat pear brilliant diamond is D Colour, Internally Flawless
no. 8625295, dated 11 July 1995, stating that the 2.25 carat pear brilliant diamond is D Colour, Internally Flawless
no. 8445254, dated 18 April 1994, stating that the 2.10 carat pear brilliant diamond is D Colour, Internally Flawless
no. 8537968, dated 5 January 1995, stating that the 2.08 carat pear brilliant diamond is D Colour, Internally Flawless
no. 5324035, dated 6 February 1991, stating that the 2.07 carat pear shape brilliant diamond is D Colour, Internally Flawless
no. 8625131, dated 5 July 1995, stating that the 2.01 carat pear brilliant diamond is D Colour, Internally Flawless
no. 8539201, dated 22 December 1994, stating that the 1.93 carat pear brilliant diamond is D Colour, Internally Flawless
no. 8481206, dated 25 July 1994, stating that the 1.57 carat pear brilliant diamond is D Colour, Internally Flawless
no. 8494109, dated 29 August 1994, stating that the 1.39 carat pear brilliant diamond is D Colour, Internally Flawless
no. 8483391, dated 5 August 1994, stating that the 1.32 carat pear brilliant diamond is D Colour, Internally Flawless
no. 8500955, dated 19 September 1994, stating that the 1.18 carat marquise brilliant diamond is D Colour, Internally Flawless
no. 8601076, dated 11 May 1994, stating that the 1.16 carat pear brilliant diamond is D Colour, Internally Flawless
no. 8495704, dated 30 August 1994, stating that the 1.15 carat pear brilliant diamond is D Colour, Internally Flawless
no. 8572625, dated 14 March 1995, stating that the 1.10 carat pear brilliant diamond is D Colour, Internally Flawless
no. 8540579, dated 11 January 1995, stating that the 1.07 carat pear brilliant diamond is D Colour, Internally Flawless
no. 8451554, dated 28 April 1994, stating that the 1.03 carat marquise brilliant diamond is D Colour, Internally Flawless
no. 8458988, dated 23 May 1994, stating that the 1.03 carat marquise brilliant diamond is D Colour, Internally Flawless
no. 8499575, dated 19 September 1994, stating that the 1.00 carat marquise brilliant diamond is E Colour, Internally Flawless
no. 8590087, dated 11 April 1995, stating that the 0.81 carat round brilliant diamond is D Colour, Internally Flawless
no. 5849687, dated 31 January 1995, stating that the 0.78 carat round brilliant diamond is D Colour, Internally Flawless
no. 8597396, dated 25 April 1995, stating that the 0.68 carat round brilliant diamond is D Colour, Internally Flawless
no. 8574637, dated 6 April 1995, stating that the 0.66 carat round brilliant diamond is D Colour, Internally Flawless

The three largest diamonds weighing 10.25, 12.04 and 20.38 carats have been recertified by the GIA, and are each D Colour, VVS2 Clarity, Type IIa, each with a working diagram stating that the diamonds may be internally flawless after minor repolishing. These minor surface abrasions are consistent with normal wear.

 Sotheby's. Magnificent Jewels and Noble Jewels, Genève, 12 mai 2015

Lot 176. A Fine and Rare Underglaze-Blue Polychrome Enamel ‘Phoenix’ Vase, Fangu, Qianlong Seal Mark and Period (1736-1795). Estimation: 80,000 — 120,000 GBP. Lot sold 602,500 GBP. Photo Sotheby's

of rectangular section, the pear-shaped body rising from a spreading foot to a waisted neck, flanked by a pair of elephant handles suspending fixed rings, intricately enamelled to the front and back face with a pair of phoenix descending in flight, grasping in their beaks leafy meandering stems bearing large peony blooms, the sides similarly decorated with further scrolling peonies, all between stylised ruyi lappets, the foot skirted with a pendent stiff leaf band, inscribed to the base with a six-character seal mark - 15.4cm., 6 1/8 in.

Provenance: Christie’s London, 16th June 1986, lot 52.

Exhibited: National Museum of History, Taipei.

Note: It is rare to find vases of this form and decoration, although a closely related example, possibly the pair to the present piece, from the collection of Sir Frederick C. Bruce and now in the City Art Gallery, Bristol, was exhibited at the Bethnal Green Museum between 1913-1923, at Dartington Hall in 1949, and was included in the Oriental Ceramic Society exhibition Enamelled Polychrome Porcelain of the Manchu Dynasty, London, 1951, cat. no. 215. The Bruce vase is also illustrated in Soame Jenyns, Later Chinese Porcelain, London, 1951, pl. LXXXVI, fig. 2a, and was sold in these rooms, 12th May 1953, lot 129. Jenyns, ibid., pl. LXXXVI, fig. 2b, illustrates another Qianlong mark and period vase of the this form and phoenix motif but painted in underglaze blue and copper-red enamels.  Compare a third closely related piece, but of slightly different proportions, sold in our Hong Kong rooms, 16thMay 1977, lot 208.

Qianlong vases of this type are better known from copper-red decorated examples; see one illustrated in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum: Blue and White Porcelain with Underglazed Red (III), Shanghai, 2000, pl. 176; another sold in our Hong Kong rooms, 29th November 1978, lot 281; and one sold in these rooms, 12th June 2003, lot 183.

The decoration of a pair of flying phoenix  confronting a flaming pearl above a peony bloom may be found on Qianlong mark and period wares of different shape; for example, see a moonflask from the Matsuoka Art Museum, Tokyo, illustrated in Sekai toji zenshu, vol. 15, Tokyo, 1983, pls. 92-3. Hu form vases of this type were also decorated with dragons as seen on the vase sold at Christie’s Hong Kong, 30th April 2000, lot 600, painted in puce and underglaze-blue enamels.

Porcelain vases of this type may have been inspired by contemporary jade examples; see a finely carved white jade vase of this shape and same design of two phoenixes and flowers, attributed to the Qianlong period and from the collection of the National Palace Museum, Taipei, included in the exhibition The Refined Taste of the Emperor: Special Exhibition of Archaic and Pictorial Jades of the Ch'ing Court, National Palace Museum, Taipei, 1996, cat. no. 25.

Sotheby's. Fine Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art. London, 15 may 2013

Bowl with brown glaze, Ming dynasty (1368-1644), Reign of the Jiajing emperor (1522-1566), China, Jingdezhen, Jiangxi province. Porcelain with brown glaze. H. 2 5/8 in x Diam. 5 1/4 in, H. 6.7 cm x Diam. 13.5 cm. The Avery Brundage Collection, B60P1760. © 2016 Asian Art Museum Chong-Moon Lee Center for Asian Art and Culture

In Ming imperial porcelain, traditional glazes in red, white, blue, celadon green, pale blue, and so on were retained on wares for daily use, ceremonies, or interior display. Certain ancient types among Song official productions (960 –1279) were continuously copied. Ming official factories never stopped experimenting with varieties of new glazes, strains, and decorative devices to maintain porcelain's dominance over other ceremonial materials. A group of tablewares from the Avery Brundage collection illustrates four types of monochrome glazes produced in the Ming imperial factories in Jingdezhen from the early fifteenth through the sixteenth centuries. The Yongle emperor chose the color white and Islamic metalwork–inspired forms to be used at altars and imperial temples. The fifteenth-century white glaze, soupy and smooth, is knownas "sweet white."

The dark blue glaze, favored by earlier Mongol rulers, was successfully reproduced during the Xuande period. Blue was often used in ritual celebrations on sacrificial altars. Eloquent names, such as "gemstone blue" and "celestial blue," were documented.

Yellow, viewed as a noble color, became fashionable in the late fifteenth century. This low-fire glaze could cover a previously fired white glaze for refiring, or coat a clay body for only one firing. The yellow wares presented to the Chenghua and Zhengde courts exhibit a delicate body and refined texture with sensitive color tone, winning the admirable description "chicken fat."

The brown glaze resulted from an experiment in the Xuande reign, when official porcelain manufacturers attempted to re-create the brown glaze of a type of ancient Ding ware that had once been presented to the Northern Song court. On Ming imperial porcelain, brown glaze that glimmered on the surface with a shiny metallic luster was called "purple gold," after the description for brown Song Ding ware. Matte brown glaze was referred to as "soybean paste."

Saucer with dragons, Ming dynasty (1368-1644), Jiajing six-character mark and of the period (1522-1566), China, Jingdezhen, Jiangxi province. Porcelain with underglaze blue decoration and partially blue glaze. H. 1 3/8 in x Diam. 6 in, H. 3.5 cm x Diam. 15.2 cm. The Avery Brundage Collection, B60P1786. © 2016 Asian Art Museum Chong-Moon Lee Center for Asian Art and Culture

Jiajing mark of the period. The six-character mark at the base reads: " Produced during the Jiajing reign of the great Ming" The inner bottom depicts a five-claw dragon carrying a long lingzhi mushroom branch; on the outer border two running dragons play with lingzhi.

Jar with a scene of fish in a lotus pond, Ming dynasty (1368-1644), Jiajing mark and of the period (1522-1566), China, Jingdezhen, Jiangxi province. Porcelain with underglaze and overglaze polychrome decoration, wucai. H. 9 1/2 in x W. 9 1/2 in. The Avery Brundage Collection, B60P17. © 2016 Asian Art Museum Chong-Moon Lee Center for Asian Art and Culture

Jiajing mark of the period. The six-character mark at the base reads: "Produced during the Jiajing reign of the great Ming."

Pair of saucers with immortals in mountains, Ming dynasty (1368-1644), Jiajing six-character marks within double-circles and of the period (1522-1566), China, Jingdezhen, Jiangxi province. Porcelain with underglaze and overglaze polychrome decoration, wucai. H. 1 1/4 in x Diam. 6 3/4 in, H. 3.2 cm x Diam. 17.1 cm. The Avery Brundage Collection, B60P2069 & B60P2070. © 2016 Asian Art Museum Chong-Moon Lee Center for Asian Art and Culture

Lot 498. Natural pearl and diamond necklace. Estimation 2,920,000 — 4,870,000 CHF. Lot sold 6,522,000 CHF. Photo Sotheby's. 

Sotheby's. Magnificent Jewels and Noble Jewels, Genève, 12 mai 2015