Lot 88. A rare reticulated Longquan celadon ‘peony’ vase, yuhuchunping, Ming dynasty (1368-1644); 10 1/8 in. (25.8 cm.) high. Estimate GBP 30,000 - GBP 50,000 (USD 38,910 - USD 64,850). © Christie's Images Ltd 2019. 

The pear-shaped body is decorated with a broad peony band in openwork revealing the inner vase, all between a band of stylised lappets and classic scrolls to the foot rim and ruyi-heads to the shoulder. The mouth rim is encircled by a geometric band above upright lappets to the neck. It is covered overall with a glaze of olive-green tone except the unglazed foot rim.

Note: Longquan celadon glazed vases of this type are rare. Compare a similarly decorated Longquan celadon bottle vase pierced with peony band fitted with a gilt-bronze base and neck sold at Sotheby's London, 7 November 2012, lot 221. 

A rare gilt-bronze mounted and reticulated 'Longquan' celadon bottle vase, Ming dynasty; 26.7cm., 10 1/2 in., sold for 7,500 GBP at Sotheby's London, 7 November 2012, lot 221. Photo Sotheby's

Cf. my post: A rare gilt-bronze mounted and reticulated 'Longquan' celadon bottle vase, Ming dynasty

Lot 293. A blue and white 'dragon roundel' dish, Wanli eight-character mark and of the period (1573-1619); 12¾ in. (32.5 cm.) diam. Estimate GBP 5,000 - GBP 10,000. Price realised GBP 10,625. © Christie's Images Ltd 2010

The deep dish with slightly rounded walls, finely painted to the interior with a sinuous dragon amidst vaporous clouds and above crashing waves, all within double-circles repeated at the rim, the exterior with eight dragon roundels separated by clouds, the base with the characters Wanli nian zhi peng ri long yong within double circles.

Lot 316. A Longquan celadon fluted pear-shaped vase, Ming dynasty, 16th-17th century; 9¼ in. (23.5 cm.) high. Estimate GBP 5,000 - GBP 7,000. Price realised GBP 6,250. © Christie's Images Ltd 2010

With everted foliate rim, the sides elegantly moulded with six well-defined flutes dividing double, equally-spaced, more rounded flutes, the bluish-green glaze pooling in the recesses and thinning to a paler tone at the points of highest relief, the neck interior and base underside with a similar glaze of even tone.

Lot 57. A Blue and White 'Klapmuts' Bowl, Ming Dynasty, Wanli Period (1573-1619); 14.3cm., 5 5/8 in. Estimate 2,000 - 3,000 GBP. Lot sold 13,750 GBP. Photo Sotheby's

painted to the central interior with a shaped cartouche enclosing a vase in a terraced garden, the undecorated sides moulded with four shaped cartouches each enclosing a floral bloom against a diaper ground, the everted barbed rim moulded with a keyfret border; together with a blue and white dish painted with a grasshopper and a butterfly amongst floral branches, encircled with moulded petal-form borders, Ming dynasty, Tianqi period.

Provenance: Marchant, London (bowl).

Exhibited: Chinese Ceramics of the Transitional Period (circa 1620-1680 A.D.) from the Collection of Mr & Mrs Peter Thompson, Hull University, Hull, 1985, cat. no. 82 (dish).
From the Tang to the Qing: Chinese Ceramics from circa 618-1850 A.D. from the Collection of Dr. and Mrs. Peter Thompson, Hull University, Hull, 1996, cat. no. 74 (bowl).

Sotheby's. Chinese Ceramics from the Collection of Peter and Nancy Thompson, London, 07 november 2012

Lot 195. Impressive Oval Brilliant-cut Diamond Ring of 23.00 carats, Mouawad. Estimate CHF 3,800,000 - CHF 4,500,000 (USD 3,800,000 - USD 4,500,000). © Christie's Images Ltd 2019.

Oval brilliant-cut diamond of 23.00 carats, circular-cut diamonds, gold, ring size 6, signed Mouawad, no. Ref 1633122.

Lot 202. Superb fancy intense blue diamond of 5.23 carats and diamond ring. Estimate CHF 3,500,000 - CHF 4,500,000 (USD 3,500,000 - CHF 4,500,000). © Christie's Images Ltd 2019.

Fancy intense blue cut-cornered rectangular modified brilliant-cut diamond of 5.23 carats, baguette-cut diamonds, platinum, ring size 6 ½.

Lot 174. Exceptional pear brilliant-cut type IIa diamond earrings of 12.71 and 12.07 carats. Estimate CHF 1,850,000 - CHF 2,450,000 (USD 1,850,000 - CHF 2,450,000). © Christie's Images Ltd 2019.

Pear brilliant-cut diamonds of 12.71 and 12.07 carats, circular-cut diamonds, platinum, 3.5 cm.

Lot 207. Attractive type IIa diamond ring of 25.20 carats, Harry Winston. Estimate CHF 1,800,000 - CHF 2,200,000 (USD 11,800,000 - CHF 2,200,000). © Christie's Images Ltd 2019.

Rectangular-cut diamond of 25.20 carats, tapered baguette-cut diamonds, ring size 6, signed Winston.

Lot 176. Rare Fancy light purplish pink diamond of 32.49 carats and diamond ring. Estimate CHF 1,700,000 - CHF 2,200,000 (USD 1,700,000 - CHF 2,200,000). © Christie's Images Ltd 2019.

Fancy light purplish pink cut-cornered rectangular mixed-cut diamond of 32.49 carats, circular-cut diamonds, gold, ring size 6 ¼.

Lot 257. Rare diamond pendant of 40.18 carats. Estimate CHF 1,650,000 - CHF 2,200,000 (USD 1,650,000 - CHF 2,200,000). © Christie's Images Ltd 2019.

Pear brilliant-cut diamond of 40.18 carats, gold, 4.0 cm.

Lot 256. Diamond brooch, Harry Winston. Estimate CHF 900,000 - CHF 1,300,000 (USD 900,000 - CHF 1,300,000). © Christie's Images Ltd 2019.

Pear brilliant-cut diamonds of 8.84, 6.83 and 5.01 carats, modified pear brilliant-cut diamond of 7.47 carats, marquise modified brilliant-cut diamond of 4.99 carats, marquise-cut diamonds, platinum and gold, 5.3 cm, maker's mark (Jacques Timey).

Lot 150. Type IIa diamond ring of 10.01 carats. Estimate CHF 700,000 - CHF 900,000 (USD 700,000 - CHF 900,000). © Christie's Images Ltd 2019.

Rectangular-cut diamond of 10.01 carats, gold, ring size 6 ¼.

Lot 201. Type IIa diamond ring of 10.20 carats, Boucheron. Estimate CHF 700,000 - CHF 900,000 (USD 700,000 - CHF 900,000). © Christie's Images Ltd 2019.

Rectangular-cut diamond of 10.20 carats, tapered baguette-cut diamonds, gold (French mark), ring size 6 ¼, signed Boucheron, no. MO2879, brown Boucheron case.

Lot 124. Type IIa diamond ring of 10.28 carats, mounted by Cartier. Estimate CHF 450,000 - CHF 550,000 (USD 450,000 - CHF 550,000). © Christie's Images Ltd 2019.

Pear brilliant-cut diamond of 10.28 carats, 1988, platinum (UK hallmark), ring size 6 ¾, signed Mtd Cartier London, no. 48423.

Buddhism at the British Library poster. © British Library Board

Buddhism (25 October 2019 – 23 February 2020) is a major exhibition, spanning 20 countries over 2000 years, exploring the roots, philosophy and contemporary relevance of one of the world’s major religions, from its beginnings in north India in the 6th century BCE, to having over 500 million followers across the world today.

Sacred scriptures written on tree bark, palm leaves, gold plates, illuminated texts and silk scrolls of major sutras will demonstrate Buddhism’s pivotal role in developing writing and printing techniques to transmit ideas and educate people across Asia.  

Exploring the three main schools of Buddhism –Theravada, Mahayana and Vajrayana – the British Library’s largest ever display of Buddhist collection items highlights the theory, practice and art of Buddhism, examines the enduring iconography of the Buddha and considers what it means to be Buddhist today.

Visitors will explore rare treasures from the Library’s collection, from colourful scrolls, painted wall hangings to embellished folding books, highlighting the outstanding art contained within Buddhist manuscripts and early printed works.

The exhibition also features contemporary art from Hong Kong, Singapore, Japan and Taiwan as well as ritual objects used in Buddhist practice that provide a window into everyday life in Buddhist communities in the 21st century.

Encompassing the life of the Buddha, Buddhist philosophy, the spread of Buddhism and Buddhist practice today, highlight items include:

A 7.6 metre-long 19th century Burmese illustrated manuscript, going on display at the Library for the first time, detailing the early life of the Buddha

Over 7 metre long 19th century Burmese illustrated manuscript. © British Library Board

The most comprehensive woodblock-printed work depicting and describing scenes from the life of the Buddha, including 208 beautiful hand-coloured illustrations from China, created in 1808.

Woodblock printed work depicting and describing scenes from the life of the Buddha dated 1808, © British Library Board

A copy of the Lotus Sūtra in a lavishly decorated scroll from Japan, written in gold and silver ink on indigo-dyed paper dating back to 1636, one of the most popular and most influential Buddhist texts of Mahayana Buddhism

A copy of the Lotus Sūtra in a lavishly decorated scroll from Japan, c.1636. © British Library Board

A rare Buddhist manuscript in the shape of a bar of gold from Thailand dated 1917, known as Sankhara bhajani kyam, going on display for the first time

A rare Buddhist manuscript, known as 'Sankhara bhanjani kyam,' from Thailand dated 1917. © British Library Board

A unique contemporary artwork depicting scenes from the Vessantara Birth Tale in the style of Thai mural paintings created especially for the exhibition by Irving Chan Johnson, Lim Su Qi and Rungnapa Kitiarsa, Singapore, 2019

The Hyakumantō darani or ‘One Million Pagoda Dharani,’ the oldest extant examples of printing in Japan and some of the earliest in the world, dating 764-770 CE

The Hyakumantō darani or 'One Million Pagoda Dharani,' dating 764-770 CE. © British Library Board.

One of the oldest illustrated extant palm leaf manuscripts, Pancharaksha, an illustrated ritual text on the Five Protections from Nepal, dated 1130-1150 CE

One of the oldest illustrated extant palm leaf manuscripts, Pancharaksha, dated 1130-1150 CE. © British Library Board.

A lavishly gilded and lacquered Thai palm leaf manuscript with new research revealing it was commissioned by a queen of Siam, with a silk cover designed by her, demonstrating the role of women in Buddhism, 19th century

Gilded and lacquered Thai palm leaf manuscript commissioned by a queen of Siam, 19th century. © British Library Board.

An 18th-century copy of the Tibetan Book Bar do thos grol, a guide through the stages between death and rebirth, commonly known in the West as ‘Tibetan Book of the Dead,’ which helped popularise Buddhism in the 20th century in Europe

An 18th century copy of the Tibetan Book 'bar do thos grol', known in the West as 'Tibetan Book of the Dead'. © British Library Board.

An illustrated manuscript of the Guanyin Sutra from Dunhuang, showing a rare early depiction of a woman giving birth after she and her husband have prayed to the bodhisattva Guanyin, 9th – 10th century.

An illustrated manuscript of the Guanyin Sūtra from Dunhuang, 9th–10th century. © British Library Board.

Jana Igunma, lead curator of Buddhism at the British Library, said: ‘Buddhism is the first show of its kind at the British Library, showcasing treasures from one of the world’s richest collections of Asian manuscripts. Visitors will be able to see for themselves the range and richness of this beautiful art that spans 2,000 years of Buddhist texts such as illuminated scrolls, painted palm leaves and banner paintings. They will learn about the life of the Buddha and his teachings, and discover what it means to be Buddhist today, bearing in mind the growing contemporary relevance of mindfulness, compassion and loving kindness.’

Buddhist text, written on birchbark (1st century AD), Gandhara. © British Library Board.

Manuscript fragment, part of a rare Yōgavacara meditation manual found in the Theravāda tradition, 18th century. © British Library Board.

Two of the Sacred Books of the Buddhists 18-19th century. © British Library Board.

Painting of the Annual Procession of Buddha's Tooth Relic, Asala Perahera, at Kandy. Sri Lanka, 1796-1815. © British Library Board.

Gilded palm-leaf manuscript with mother-of-pearl decorated covers commissioned by the Thai king ca. 1860 © British Library Board

Scenes from the Buddha's previous incarnations, in a 19th century Burmese manuscript. © British Library Board

Lot 13. François-Xavier Lalanne (1927 - 2008), Rhinocrétaire (“Rhinodesk”), 1991. Patinated welded copper and metal, the fall-front opening to reveal a writing surface. Monogrammed FXL, stamped LALANNE, dated 91 and numbered 1/1 on one thigh, 126 x 255 x 72 cm ; 49 ⅝ x 100 ⅜ x 28 ⅜ in. Estimate: €700,000 - 1,000,000. Lot sold: €5,404,400. Courtesy Sotheby’s.

PARIS.- The two-day auction of the personal collection of the late artist duo Claude and François-Xavier Lalanne drew to a close at Sotheby’s Paris tonight, with an outstanding €91,293,713 ($101,470,223) – four times the pre-sale estimates (est. €15.9 – 23m / $17.6 – 25.7m) and the highest total for a private art collection sold in France in the last 10 years. 100% of the lots offered over the course of the two-day sale sold and 96% of them achieved prices above high estimate.

Florent Jeanniard, Head of 20th Century Design at Sotheby’s Europe, said: “The Lalannes’ oeuvre has a universal appeal which was reflected by the enormous excitement the sale generated around globe. The auction which gathered over 4,100 collectors from 43 countries is a huge tribute to the whimsical genius of the couple.”

Mario Tavella, Président-directeur général of Sotheby’s France and Chairman Sotheby’s Europe said: “The results achieved are testament to the immense contribution of Claude and François-Xavier Lalanne to the history of 20th-century art. We are also very proud to have realised the highest total ever achieved for a Sotheby’s sale in France.”

The vast majority of the lots in the sale were significant artworks created and treasured by “Les Lalanne”. Among such pieces were:

ARTWORKS BY FRANÇOIS-XAVIER LALANNE:
• The top lot of the sale was a monumental Rhinocrétaire (“Rhinodesk”) which realised €5,404,400 ($6,006,828), five times the high estimate of €700,000 - 1,000,000. A unique piece from 1991, this unique copper and metal rhinoceros is transformable into a writing desk.

Lot 13. François-Xavier Lalanne (1927 - 2008), Rhinocrétaire (“Rhinodesk”), 1991. Patinated welded copper and metal, the fall-front opening to reveal a writing surface. Monogrammed FXL, stamped LALANNE, dated 91 and numbered 1/1 on one thigh, 126 x 255 x 72 cm ; 49 ⅝ x 100 ⅜ x 28 ⅜ in. Estimate: €700,000 - 1,000,000. Lot sold: €5,404,400. Courtesy Sotheby’s.

• Lapin à vent, a large gilt patinated bronze rabbit from 2007 sold for €2,532,500 ($2,814,798) (est. €400,000 - 600,000).

Lot 36. François-Xavier Lalanne (1927 - 2008), Lapin à vent, 2004. gilt patinated bronze ; ball-bearing head. Monogrammed FXL, stamped LALANNE, dated 2004 and numbered 7/8 on one wing, 180 x 255 x 47 cm ; 70  7/8  x 100  3/8  x 18  1/2  in. Estimate: €400,000 — 600,000. Lot sold: €2,532,500 . Courtesy Sotheby’s.

• Grand Mouflon de Pauline - a hollowed-out bronzed mouflon from 2008 that doubles as a bar cabinet – achieved €2,412,500 ($2,681,421) (est. €400,000 - 600,000).

Lot 38. François-Xavier Lalanne (1927 - 2008), Grand Mouflon de Pauline bar cabinet, 2008. Gilt patinated bronze, maillechort, painted interior. Monogrammed FXL, stamped LALANNE, dated 2008 and numbered 7/8 on a leg, 130 x 120 x 53,5 cm ; 51  1/8  x 47  1/4  x 21 in. Estimate: €600,000 - 800,000. Lot sold: €2,412,500 . Courtesy Sotheby’s.

• A three-meter tall bronze bear (“Ours”) – one of the “fantastique beasts” that inhabited the Lalannes’ garden - fetched a roaring €2,292,500 ($2,548,045) (est. €400,000 - 600,000).

Lot 18. François-Xavier Lalanne (1927 - 2008), Ours, 2008. Gilt patinated bronze, maillechort, painted interior. Monogrammed FXL, stamped LALANNE, dated 2008 and numbered 7/8 on a leg, 130 x 120 x 53,5 cm ; 51  1/8  x 47  1/4  x 21 in. Estimate: €600,000 - 800,000. Lot sold: €2,412,500 . Courtesy Sotheby’s.

ARTWORKS BY CLAUDE LALANNE
• A world auction record for Claude Lalanne was set yesterday evening, when her Grand Choupatte (“Cabbage Feet”), a large bronze cabbage on chicken legs from 2012, with versions included in the world’s leading museums and art collections, achieved €2,172,500 ($2,414,669) – ten times the high estimate (est. €150,000 - 200,000 / $166,000-221,000). 

Lot 33. Claude Lalanne (1925 - 2019), Grand Choupatte (“Cabbage Feet”), 2012. Gilt patinated bronze. Monogrammed C.L., stamped CLAUDE LALANNE, dated 2013 and numbered 8/8 on one arm, 222 x 90 x 79 cm ; 87 3/4 x 35 7/8 x 31 in. Estimate: €150,000 - 200,000. Lot sold: €2,172,500. Courtesy Sotheby’s.

• Lapin de Victoire - a standing rabbit made of bronze from 2013 realised €1,632,500 ($1,814,475) (est. €500,000-700,000). 

Lot 33. Claude Lalanne (1925 - 2019), Lapin de Victoire, 2013. Patinated bronze. Monogrammed C.L., stamped LALANNE, dated 2012 and numbered 7/8 on a foot, 117 x 135 cm ; 46 x 53 1/8 in. Estimate: € 500,000 — 700,000. Lot sold: €1,632,500 . Courtesy Sotheby’s.

• Her famous Crocodile Desk from 2009, Bureau Crocodile - one of the most masterful interpretations of the artist’s “Croco” motif - fetched €1,572,500 ($1,747,787) (est. €400,000 - 600,000). 

Lot 11. Claude Lalanne (1925 - 2019), Crocodile desk, 2009. Gilt patinated bronze. Monogrammed C.L., stamped LALANNE, dated 2009 and numbered 7/8 on the edge of the top, 87 x 155 x 57 cm ; 34 1/4 x 61 x 22 1/2 in. Estimate: € 400,000 — 600,000. Lot sold: €1,572,500 . Courtesy Sotheby’s.

WORKS BY ARTIST FRIENDS OF THE DUO
The sale also featured works by artists who were friends of the duo, including Niki de Saint Phalle, Jean Tinguely, Max Ernst, William N. Copley, Jasper Johns and Elaine Sturtevant.

• A Raysse Peinture à Haute Tension by Sturtevant sold for €225,000 ($250,081) (est. €60,000 - 80,000). 

Lot 6. Sturtevant (1924 - 2014), Raysse peinture à haute tension, mixed media and neon on canvas. Conceived in 1969, this work is from the second edition of 8 executed in 1970. Signed, dated 1970 and titled on the reverse, 162 x 96,5 x 14,5 cm ; 63  3/4  x 38 x 5  3/4  in. Estimate: € 60,000 - 80,000. Lot sold: €225,000 . Courtesy Sotheby’s.

• A Box in a Valise (From or by Marcel Duchamp or Rrose Sélavy) sold for €162,500 ($180,614) (est. €40,000-60,000). Conceived between 1935 and 1941, this leather suitcase contains 80 reproductions and miniature replicas of works by Duchamps. 

Lot 14. Marcel Duchamp, De ou par Marcel Duchamp ou Rrose Sélavy (La Boîte en Valise, Série G). Conceived between 1935 and 1941, this example executed by Jacqueline Matisse-Monnier in Paris between 1968 and 1971 in an unumbered edition of 47. Wooden and cardboard valise covered in green leather and linen, containing 80 reproductions and miniature replicas of works by the artist. Stamped with the artist's signature Marcel Duchamp and signed by Teeny Duchamp in the box
Collectibles, 41,5 x 98,5 x 9,9 cm ; 16 3/8 x 38 3/4 x 3 7/8 in. Estimate: € 40,000-60,000. Lot sold: €162,500 . Courtesy Sotheby’s.

KEY STATISTICS
• Over 4,100 participants from 43 countries

• 9 hours of intense bidding • Activity came from around the world: Europe, North and South America, Asia and the Middle East.

• 2,500 people visited the five-day exhibition in Paris

• The pre-sale high estimate for the whole sale was surpassed after the sale of lot 22

• 26 lots sold above $1m.

Lot 208. An exceptional silk Samite shirt with ducks, Central Asia, Sogdiana, 7th-9th century. Unfolded: Length at shoulders: 67.4cm. Height (from the top of the collar to the bottom edge of fabric): 71cm. Total height (from the top of the collar to the bottom of green veil): 86.5cm. Estimate: 200,000 - 300,000 GBP. Lot sold 243,750 GBP. Photo: Sotheby's.

sleeveless with open front, short collar, woven with dark and light shades of blue on a honey-gold silk samite in weft-faced compound twill, decorated with facing ducks wearing a flowing scarf and holding a pearl necklace, each within a rectangular frame with heart-shaped designs within borders, foliate details between.

Literature: E. Paton, The New York Times STYLE, 12 April 2018.

Note: In superb condition, this magnificent shirt, characterised by its rich honey-gold ground offset with designs in shades of blue, would have been considered a true ‘cloth of gold’ which was so prized by the Sogdian elite and its neighbours.

The Sogdian Empire, located in modern-day Uzbekistan and Tajikistan was an ancient Iranian civilisation, and the heart of an extensive trade network. The Sogdians, described as ‘the great traders of Inner Asia’ by contemporary Sogdian, Chinese, Arabic, Byzantine, and Armenian sources, used to sell products such as musk, slaves, silverware, silk and many other goods, to its surrounding population (Étienne de la Vaissière, Sogdians in China: A Short History and Some New Discoveries, Silk Road Foundation Newsletter vol. 1, no.2, Paris, December 2003).

Trading extensively along the Silk Road, the Sogdians particularly established a strong network with China. Sogdian Silks have been found in sites all the way up to in northwest China, such as Dulan and Astana. Due to the advantageous location of the Sogdian Empire, at the centre of the crossroads, they traded the best silks from China with the Eastern Persian market, leading to a strong influence of Sassanian motifs in Sogdian design.

The condition of this shirt is impressive – very few examples in this state of preservation exist. Some of the best known models are currently in the Abegg-Stiftung Foundation in Switzerland and the Cleveland Museum of Art in Ohio. In the latter, a child’s coat is woven with a design that is comparable to the present shirt: “[…] strongly influenced by the art of Sasanian Iran (circa 224-640 AD), especially the ribbons (patif) worn by the ducks, the necklaces held in their beaks and the pearl roundels” (J. Watt and A. Wardwell, When Silk was Gold: Central Asian and Chinese Textiles, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, 1997, p.21). Although the characteristic pearl roundels do not feature on this shirt, the heart-motif design in the borders around the birds is reminiscent of this detail. The ‘duck in a roundel’ motif also appears on a hanging in the Abegg-Stiftung Foundation, Switzerland (inv. no.5682), and further variations of this design can be seen on examples sold in these rooms (5 October 2011, lot 181). 

What makes silk so unique as a luxury commodity is not only the intrinsic value of the material itself, but also the fact that it is easily portable. Indeed, even a thousand years later, the condition of this shirt is remarkable, as it was produced with the highest quality silk. This fashion for luxury silks set by the Sogdians continued throughout the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries. An Ilkhanid robe offered at Sotheby’s, 9 April 2014, lot 124, was also decorated with a variation of the facing pheasant motif.

An indicator of wealth and rank, this shirt would have served an important function in the context of trade and diplomacy. Today, it provides a rare glimpse into an important civilization that left an imprint on empires spreading over multiple continents and for many subsequent centuries. 

Sotheby's. Arts of the Islamic World, London, 23 october 2019

Loy 213. An intact Kashan blue-glazed bottle vase, Persia, 12th-13th century; 30.8cm. height. Estimate: 6,000 - 8,000 GBP. Lot sold 13,750 GBP. Photo: Sotheby's.

the fritware body of globular form with a tall thin neck and rounded mouth, decorated in cobalt blue under a transparent glaze.

Proenance: Christie’s London, 27 April 2004, lot 293.

Ex- collection Theodor Sehmer (1885-1979).

Ex-collection Seppi Mueller, 1971.

Sotheby's. Arts of the Islamic World, London, 23 october 2019

Lot 233. A monumental late Safavid cuerda seca pottery tile panel, Persia, 18th century; 133 by 232cm. Estimate: 25,000 - 35,000 GBP. Lot sold 68,750 GBP. Photo: Sotheby's.

comprising forty-five cuerda-seca pottery tiles decorated in two shades of green, blue, yellow, mauve, brown and black outlines, forming a courtly scene.

Lot 235. A diamond-set and enamelled gold pendant with seed-pearl string necklace, North India, 19th century; pendant: 6.2 by 5.8cm. Estimate: 7,000 - 10,000 GBP. Lot sold 8,750 GBP. Photo: Sotheby's. 

gold kundan settings with foil-backed diamonds, designed as a peacock in the centre on a blue enamel ground with openwork stylised foliate border, reverse with detailed polychrome enamelling featuring peacocks, later added hanging pendant with seed-pearls, mounted with a necklace comprising interlacing strings of seed pearls, metal-thread string for fastening 

Lot 236. A pair of Mughal gem-set and enamelled bracelets, North India, 18th-19th century; each: 8cm., central section: 3.2 by 4.5cm. Estimate: 6,000 - 8,000 GBP. Lot sold 10,625 GBP. Photo: Sotheby's.

each with a raised central section with set with foil-backed diamonds and pink stones on blue enamelling, reverse with polychrome enamel featuring birds and floral details, gold strings for fastening

 Lot 239. A large Mughal gem-set and enamelled belt buckle set as a necklace, North India, 18th century; each: 8cm., central section: 3.2 by 4.5cm. Estimate: 8,000 - 12,000 GBP. Lot sold 13,750 GBP. Photo: Sotheby's.

gold kundan-settings with foil-backed emeralds and diamonds, the reverse with polychrome enamel featuring birds and floral details, band for fastening as belt and two hooks later fastened with string and seed-pearl terminals to be worn as a necklace.

Lot 240. A diamond-set and enamelled necklace with seed-pearl and gem-set fringe, North India, 19th century; 19cm. max. diam. Estimate: 10,000 - 15,000 GBP. Lot sold 12,500 GBP. Photo: Sotheby's. 

gold kundan settings with foil-backed diamonds, openwork foliate design, set above with small pearls, below with a fringe of gems and seed-pearls, reverse with polychrome enamel floral design, metal-thread for fastening and seed-pearl terminals.

Lot 244. A pair of diamond-set and enamelled bracelets set with pearls, North India, 18th century; each: 8.5cm. max. diam., 1.5cm. width. Estimate: 15,000 - 25,000 GBP. Lot sold 18,750 GBP. Photo: Sotheby's.

each set with foil-backed diamonds designed as flowerheads against a blue enamel ground, the interiors with polychrome enamelled flowers, the external edge set with pearls between red enamel loops.

Note: An almost identical bracelet was sold at Sotheby's New York, 19 September 2008, lot 258.

Lot 256. Two navaratna jewels, a gem-set gold Mughal pendant and an enamelled and gem-set gold bracelet, India, Benares, 19th century; pendant: 11cm. length, bracelet: 9cm. diam. Estimate: 5,000 - 7,000 GBP. Lot sold 6,250 GBP. Photo: Sotheby's.

the pendant of openwork, floral design with a central mother-of-pearl medallion surrounded by colourful gemstones in the navaratna sequence, including turquoise, moonstone, seed pearl, sapphire, coral, beryl, quartz, ruby, polychrome enamel to reverse, with associated hanging pendant and later brooch pin; the bracelet also set with a navaratna sequence of various coloured stones including heggonite garnet, coral, maybe pearl, turquoise, cat's eye, opal, divided by diamond-inset leaves, the interior decorated in characteristic gulabi (rose-pink) and white enamel with green

Exhibited: The pendant was on loan to the L.A. Mayer Memorial Museum, Jerusalem, 1987-98.