Lot 359. Diamond necklace. Estimate 105,000 — 155,000 CHF. Photo: Sotheby's.

Composed of a line of circular- and single-cut diamonds, the front highlighted with five circular-cut diamonds weighing respectively 3.40, 9.86, 13.24, 11.14 and 3.66 carats, length approximately 370mm.

Sotheby's. Magnificent Jewels and Noble Jewels, Session 3. Geneva. 16 May 2017, 07:00 PM 

Lot 3018. A fine and rare large blue-glazed dragon-handle vase, hu, Qianlong six-character seal mark in underglaze blue and of the period (1736-1795), 18 ½ in. (47 cm.) high. Estimate HKD 2,600,000 - HKD 4,000,000 (USD 335,316 - USD 515,871) © Christie's Images Ltd 2017

The vase is sturdily potted with a full pear-shaped body tapering to a straight neck. The shoulders are set with a pair of stylised dragon handles. The exterior is covered with an even sapphire-blue glaze, the interior and base with a clear glaze.

Note: Qianlong vases of this size and form are usually decorated in the famille rose palette with the classic ‘Hundred Deer’ motif, such as the one from the Beijing Palace Museum, illustrated in Porcelains with Cloisonne Enamel Decoration and Famille Rose Decoration, The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum, Hong Kong, 1999, pp. 98-99, pl. 85. There are also other examples in various glaze colours and blue and white decorations, including a Ru-type glazed example (36 cm.) with slightly different dragon handles in the Huaihaitang Collection, illustrated in Ethereal Elegance: Porcelain Vases of the Imperial Qing, The Huaihaitang Collection, Hong Kong, 2007, pl. 25; a white-glazed example (45 cm.) sold at Christie’s Hong Kong, 30 October 2001, lot 835; and a blue and white example decorated with scrolling lotus (45.7 cm.), sold at Sotheby’s Hong Kong, 24 November 1987, lot 74.

Christie's. The Imperial Sale / Important Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art, 31 May 2017, Convention Hall

Lot 317. Sapphire and diamond brooch, Van Cleef & Arpels. Estimate 32,000 — 52,000 CHF. Photo: Sotheby's.

Designed as a leaf, set with calibré-cut sapphires en serti mystérieux within a frame of marquise-shaped diamonds, the stem highlighted with variously shaped diamonds, unsigned, French assay marks, maker's marks for Van Cleef & Arpels, case stamped Van Cleef & Arpels.

Sotheby's. Magnificent Jewels and Noble Jewels, Session 3. Geneva. 16 May 2017, 07:00 PM 

Lot 316. Pair of sapphire and diamond ear clips. Estimate 32,000 — 52,000 CHF. Photo: Sotheby's.

Each designed as a leaf set with calibré-cut sapphires, the stem set with tapered baguette diamonds, may be worn as clips, collapsible post, numbered.

Sotheby's. Magnificent Jewels and Noble Jewels, Session 3. Geneva. 16 May 2017, 07:00 PM

Lot 322. Pair of sapphire and diamond ear clips, Van Cleef & Arpels. Estimate 52,000 — 82,000 CHF. Photo: Sotheby's.

Each designed as a poppy, the petals set with calibré-cut sapphires en serti mystérieux, the pistil embellished with brilliant-cut diamonds, signed Van Cleef Arpels, numbered, French assay and maker's marks, case stamped Van Cleef & Arpels.

Sotheby's. Magnificent Jewels and Noble Jewels, Session 3. Geneva. 16 May 2017, 07:00 PM

Lot 3021. A very rare pair of famille noire green-enamelled ‘cranes and clouds’ bowls, Kangxi six-character marks within double circles in underglaze blue and of the period (1662-1722), 4 7/8 in. (12.5 cm.) diam., box. Estimate HKD 2,600,000 - HKD 3,500,000(USD 335,316 - USD 451,387) © Christie's Images Ltd 2017

Each is potted with deep rounded sides rising from a short slightly tapered foot, and delicately enamelled on both interior and exterior with flying cranes among clouds in a translucent and vibrant green enamel reserved on a black ground. 

Provenance: Sold at Sotheby’s London, 9 and 10 November 2005, lot 747

Note: The present decorative scheme is highly unusual and no other example appears to have been published. This technique is an extension of the famille noire decorative style, but only employs green enamels which when layered with black, produces a particularly lustrous effect which was not easy to achieve and which accounts for the rarity of pieces produced in this technique in the later Yongzheng and Qianlong periods. Yongzheng marked examples include a saucer dish and a globular bottle vase, in the Baur Collection, Geneva, illustrated by J. Ayers in the Catalogue, vol. IV, no. A568-69; and a vase sold at Christie’s Hong Kong, 26 September 1989, lot 630, and now in the Sanbao Tang Collection, illustrated by P.Y.K. Lam, ‘Myriad Longevity Without Boundaries’, Arts of Asia, vol. 40, September-October 2010, p. 111, no. 6. Qianlong-marked examples include the large dish sold at Christie’s London, 5 June 1995, lot 210, and sold again at Sotheby’s Hong Kong, 10 April 2006, lot 1520.

Christie's. The Imperial Sale / Important Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art, 31 May 2017, Convention Hall

Lot 362. Formely in the collection of Mona, Countess von Bismarck. Important jadeite, onyx, ruby and diamond pendant-brooch, Cartier, circa 1925. Estimate 105,000 — 155,000 CHF. Photo: Sotheby's.

Set with two carved jadeites on an onyx hoop, highlighted with single- and circular-cut diamonds, the ends set with sugarloaf rubies, signed Cartier, numbered, French maker's marks. 

Provenance: Formerly in the Collection of Mona, Countess von Bismarck (1897-1983).

The Magnificent Jewels of the late Countess Mona Bismarck, Sotheby’s Geneva, 13 May 1986, lot 8.

Literature: Cf.: Stefano Papi and Alexandra Rhodes, Famous Jewelry Collectors, London, 1999, pg. 133 for an illustration of this brooch.

Cf.: Stefano Papi and Alexandra Rhodes, 20th Century Jewelry and The Icons of Style, London, 2013, pg. 118 for an illustration of this brooch.

Note: Born Mona Travis Strader in Louisville, Kentucky in 1897, she had been twice married and divorced by the age of 27; first to wealthy businessman Henry Schlesinger in 1917, and then to affluent banker James Irving Bush, said to be the handsomest man in America. In 1924 she settled in New York and soon met Harrison Williams, twenty-four years her senior, who was one of the richest men in America; they married in 1926. After their around-the-world honeymoon cruise on Williams’ yacht Warrior, the largest and most expensive pleasure boat in the world at the time, the couple moved into a neo-Georgian mansion on upper Fifth Avenue in New York and acquired Oak Point, a huge property in Bayville on Long Island's North Shore, as well as a home in Palm Beach and the Villa Il Fortino in Capri. Her husband’s fortune gave Mona free rein in her love of the arts. She purchased works by Goya, Tiepolo and Fragonard to furnish the New York estate, and also commissioned contemporary decorators, such as José Maria Sert and Syrie Maugham, to decorate her homes.

Mona became a lifelong friend and photographic subject of Cecil Beaton. He described her as “one of the few outstanding beauties of the thirties… who represented the epitome of all that taste and luxury can bring to flower”. By the early 1930s, Mona’s beauty and elegance were a subject of note on both sides of the Atlantic. In 1933, she was voted “the best-dressed woman in the world” in the annual poll held by the major French couturiers, including Chanel, Molyneux, Vionnet, Lelong and Lanvin. In the photographic portraits of Mona taken in the late 1920s and 1930s, her beauty is enhanced by her stylish period jewels. Like many of her contemporaries, she had her jewels redesigned to keep up with the fashion, so only a few of her Art Deco pieces survive in their original form. One such piece is the Cartier brooch offered in this auction.

Mona, Countess von Bismarck (1897-1983). Courtesy Sotheby's

Harrison Williams died at Oak Point in 1953 and Mona inherited a vast fortune. The following year, she married Edward, Count von Bismarck, grandson of Otto von Bismarck, chancellor of Germany. They moved to Europe, and in 1956 they purchased a hôtel particulier in Paris at 34 Avenue de New York, which she completely redecorated. Mona was a glamorous and admired hostess in Paris and on Capri, entertaining guests such as the Duke and Duchess of Windsor, Winston Churchill, Aristotle Onassis and Maria Callas. She was always resplendent in her jewels and beautiful gowns.

After the death of Count von Bismarck in 1970, Mona had an unhappy marriage to Umberto de Martini, who died in a car accident in 1979. Her last years were spent quietly and she died in Paris in 1983 at the age of 86. Her legacy continues through a foundation that bears her name, based in her home in Paris, which fosters Franco-American bonds through art and culture.

Sotheby's. Magnificent Jewels and Noble Jewels, Session 3. Geneva. 16 May 2017, 07:00 PM

Bowl, white 'eggshell' porcelain with 'hidden decoration' of dragons, China, Ming dynasty, Yongle mark  in archaic characters within a circleand of the period (1403-1424). Diameter: 20 cm, Height: 6.4 cm. C.29-1953 © Victoria and Albert Museum, London 2017.

Bowl of white 'eggshell porcelain, with 'hidden decoration' (anhua) painted in white slip under a lustrous glaze of creamy tone. The bowl is conical, with very slightly rounded sides and turned out lip with six-foil rim; the foot-ring is low and narrow, unglazed and trimmed flat with a knife. Painted inside at the bottom in white slip is the mark 'Yongle nian zhi' (made in the Yongle period) in archaic characters within a circle, surrounded by a wavy double line and representing a flaming pearl. Round the sides are painted two full-faced flying dragons, visible when held against the light. 

Porcelain dish, China, Ming dynasty, Yongle reign (1403-24). Diameter: 38.6 cm, Height: 7 cm. Given by Sir George Labouchere, FE.1-1972 © Victoria and Albert Museum, London 2017.

Large porcelain dish, heavily potted, with unglazed flat base, rounded spreading sides rising to vertical at the rim, and bluish-grey glaze; iron impurities on the base

This large plain dish was produced at the imperial kilns of Jingdezhen in southern China during the Yongle period (1403-25). The emperor was a follower of Tibetan Buddhism, and under his reign many Buddhist temples were renovated and religious rituals performed at court.

Tripod incense burner, porcelain covered with a bluish-white glaze, Shufu ware, China (Jingdezhen), Ming dynasty, Yongle period (1403-24). Height: 11.7 cm, Diameter: 10.8 cm. Bequeathed by Mr H. B. Harris, C.116-1929 © Victoria and Albert Museum, London 2017.

Tripod incense burner of porcelain, covered with a bluish-white glaze. In the form of the bronze tripod sacrificial vessel known as a ding, with handles rising above the rim.

Ritual wine cup (jue), Yongle reign period (1403-24), Jingdezhen kilns, south China. Porcelain with white glaze. Height: 14.5 cm, Length: 17.5 cm. 706-1883 © Victoria and Albert Museum, London 2017.

This wine cup would have been used in sacrificial ceremonies performed by the Yongle emperor.

The white porcelain cup standing on three legs, known as a 'jue', was a wine container in ancient China. It was one of the V&A's early purchases of Chinese art through the good offices of Dr Stephen Wootton Bushell (1844-1908). Bushell was a physician by profession, but his 30-year-long residence in Beijing had made him a self-taught expert. He made several acquisitions on behalf of the V&A and in 1898 was commissioned by the Board of Education to write a comprehensive book on Chinese art, which has been reprinted several times. 

The ceramics Bushell selected on behalf of the Museum included blue-and-white and colour-enamelled wares which were fashionable in the late 19th century. But he did not overlook the more subtle monochromes which were, a few decades later, much appreciated by collectors and connoisseurs.

Lot 310. Fine diamond bracelet, Harry Winston. Estimate 180,000 — 280,000 CHF. Photo: Sotheby's.

Set with pear- and marquise-shaped diamonds, length approximately 195mm, unsigned, numbered, maker's mark for Jacques Timey.

Lot 332. Pair of diamond ear clips, Harry Winston. Estimate 72,000 — 105,000 CHF. Photo: Sotheby's.

Each of hoop design, composed of three lines set with graduated brilliant-cut diamonds, unsigned, maker's mark for Tavernier.

Red-glazed stemcup, China, Ming, Yongle reign (1403-24), Jingdezhen. Height: 10.5 cm, Diameter: 15.5 cm. W. G. Gulland Gift, 168-1905 © Victoria and Albert Museum, London 2017.

This red porcelain stemcup is a rare example of a cup decorated with a red glaze, derived from the red oxide of copper. It dates to the beginning of the Yongle reign period (1403-1424). This type of cup is called quanbei, literally 'urging cup', which refers to the fact that the drinker would toast his companions and at the same time urge them to refill and drink from their own cups.

The results of recent excavations conducted at the sites of the imperial kilns in Jingdezhen have shown that there was a large quantity of discarded red glazed pieces, around 80% of which did not reach the quality standards required.

The red glaze of this wine cup is derived from copper, a mineral that is highly fugitive as a red colourant. The glaze has fired to a beautiful even red, except at the rim, where the colour has beld away from the sharp edge.

In the fourteenth century Jingdezhen potters had attempted underglaze painting in much the same manner as contemporary work in cobalt blue (see p.48). The results, however, were not always successful, some pieces misfiring to a dark grey instead of the intended bright red. It was not until the reign of the Ming Emperor Yongle that potters finally mastered the techniques of firing an even colour. Imperial intervention was the main reason for the breakthrough. Yongle, who had recently established the capital in Beijing, wanted monochrome vessels placed at the altars where he performed sacrifices - blue for Heaven, yellow for Earth, red for the Sun and white for the Moon. Red had a special significance, as the surname of the emperor was 'Zhu', which means 'red'.

Expertise in firing copper red was lost after 1435: those very few red-glazed vessels produced soon after this date have a rather unattractive liver colour, and we know that the emperor was petitioned to cancel orders for red-glazed vessels because 'all attempts ended in failure'. Copper-red glazes reappeared in the eighteenth century, when they were a reinvention rather than a revival, as the composition of this later glaze is very different from its Ming predecessor.

Lot 323. Ruby and diamond bracelet, Van Cleef & Arpels. Estimate 105,000 — 205,000 CHF. Photo: Sotheby's.

Composed of calibré-cut rubies en serti mystérieux, between two lines of collet-set brilliant-cut diamonds, length approximately 175mm, signed V.C.A, numbered, French assay and maker’s marks, case stamped Van Cleef & Arpels. 

Lot 318. Ruby and diamond brooch, Van Cleef & Arpels. Estimate 105,000 — 205,000 CHF. Photo: Sotheby's.

Of floral design, the petals set with calibré-cut rubies en serti mystérieux, the pistil embellished with brilliant-cut diamonds, the detachable stem and leaf set with brilliant-cut and baguette diamonds, signed Van Cleef Arpels, numbered, French assay and maker's marks, pouch stamped Van Cleef & Arpels.

Red lacquer circular box, Yongle mark and period (1403-1424). Diameter: 22.2 cm. Given by Sir Harry and Lady Garner, FE.22&A-1974 © Victoria and Albert Museum, London 2017.

Circular red lacquer box carved with camellia branches on the top and five groups of flowers on the sides; the inside and the base are lacquered in black.

The red colour of this early 15th-century box was achieved by using cinnabar as a colouring agent. The intricate floral pattern was created by building up many layers of lacquer and then carving them.

Lacquer was a craft from East Asia. Chinese workers had been tapping the sap of the lacquer tree from about 3000 BC. The filtered and purified lacquer was then applied to a base, usually of wood, and coloured.

Carved red lacquer circular box, Yongle mark and period (1403-1424). Diameter: 27 cm. W.21-1969 © Victoria and Albert Museum, London 2017.

This intricately carved red lacquer box is circular in form. The box is straight-sided, with a flat-topped cover of the same height fitting over a vertical flange. The sides and top are covered with a thick coating of cinnabar-red lacquer carved with designs, the remaining surfaces with a thin brown lacquer. The top is carved deeply with a landscape and figure design. In the centre, an aged pine tree rises above a pavilion giving on to a balustraded terrace, surrounded by gnarled rocks and trees; to the left promontories beyond with more rocks and trees give on to water, with islands in the distance, and large, formalised clouds above. Sky, water and terrace are represented by finely-carved diaper grounds. In the pavilion a scholar is seen slumped at the table while a servant holds a wine-bottles; on the terrace, a visitor accompanied by his servant makes his departure. Borders encircling the outside of the box and cover are carved with an identical series of flower sprays, ten in number, as follows (reading from right to lift): lotus; camellia; chrysanthemum; gardenia; peony; pomegranate; peony; a form of jasmine; an autumn flower; mallow. 

The reign-mark 'Da Ming Yong Le Nian Zhi' is written vertically on the base at the left close to the foot, with a fine point.

Acquired by the vendors in Japan.

The red colour of this early 15th-century box was achieved by using cinnabar as a colouring agent. The complex landscape design was created by building up many layers of lacquer and then carving them.

Lacquer was a craft from East Asia. Chinese workers had been tapping the sap of the lacquer tree from about 3000 BC. The filtered and purified lacquer was then applied to a base, usually of wood, and coloured.

For similar pieces with landscape designs, the box in the Freer Gallery, Washington (Sir Harry Garner, ''Technical Studies of Oriental Lacquer'' in Studies in Conservation, vol.8 no.3, Aug 1963, fig.3), and in the former Sedgwick Collection (Sotheby Sale Catalogue, 2nd July 1968, Iot.66; formerly in the Norton Collection); also the box-top belonging to Marcus Linell (Garner, ''Diaper Backgrounds on Chinese Garved Lacquer'' in Ars Orientalis, VI, 1966,plI). See also Fritz Low-Beer, ''Chinese Lacquer of the Early 15th century'' in Stockholm Museum of Far Eastern Antiquities Bulletin no.22, 1950, no.10, pl.7, a dish in the Royal Scottish Museum, Edinburgh. Other Landscape dishes belong to the City Art Gallery, Bristol, and to Sir Harry Garner.

Incised Yong Le period marks of this kind have been considered to be apocryphal. Opinion of Keitaku Takagi 6/1987: the Yongle mark is modern. The top and bottom of the box match exactly, which is rare. The point of the design, possibly a poetic topos, is that the guest is leaving while the host has fallen drunkenly asleep.

Lot 328. Pair of attractive East African 14.48 and 14.79 carats ruby and diamond ear clips, Bulgari. Estimate 152,000 — 252,000 CHF. Photo: Sotheby's.

Each set with a sugarloaf ruby weighing 14.48 and 14.79 carats respectively, and marquise-shaped diamonds, signed Bulgari. 

Accompanied by SSEF report no. 80471, stating that the rubies are of East African origin, with no indications of heating.

Sotheby's. Magnificent Jewels and Noble Jewels, Session 3. Geneva. 16 May 2017, 07:00 PM