Lot 1949. A fine and rare gold-ground archaistic bottle vase, Seal mark and period of Qianlong (1736-1795), 15 cm., 5 7/8 in. Estimate 5,000,000 — 7,000,000 HKD. Lot sold 12,980,000 HKD. Photo: Sotheby's

of archaic bronze form, the lobed body rising from a short spreading foot to a tall neck with chilong handles and an everted rim, finely moulded to each side with square panels enclosing confronting archaistic dragons reserved on a robins-egg glazed ground, the foot and neck with similarly decorated ruyi and stiff leaf bands, all reserved on a speckled gold ground, the base with a four-character reign mark picked out in gilt.

Provenance: Collection of W.W. Winkworth.
Acquired in February 1992.

Note: Among the many simulations created by the imperial workshops for the Qianlong emperor, those imitating archaic ritual bronzes appear to have been the most popular. Ritual bronze vessels particularly of the late Shang (c.1600-c.1050BC) and Western Zhou (c.1050-771BC) period collected by the emperor inspired precise trompe-l'oeil copies as well as 'modern' interpretations, like the present vase. Furthermore, bronze shapes and design elements entered the general repertoire of Qianlong porcelain and provided inspiration for vessels otherwise unrelated to the ancient metal versions.

No simulated bronze vase of this form appears to have been recorded, although a much larger ovoid vase of this decorative type and style, from the J.T. Tai collection, was sold in these rooms, 7th October 2010, lot 2128. In shape the present vase is loosely based on archaic bronze hu vessels, a form that, however, was not normally lobed or flanked with such ornate handles. The design equally mixes archaic designs with Qing period elements: whereas the confronted dragons dissolve into almost abstract angled scrollwork derived from bronze design, the bands of auspicious bats and ruyi heads are stylistically firmly rooted in the Qianlong period.

Bronzes were simulated through a variety of glazes, typically a brown of 'café-au-lait' or 'teadust' type heightened with gold, and this was often combined with a mottled turquoise or green glaze to evoke the blue-green patina of ancient metalwork. The lavish use of robin's-egg glaze seen on the present vase is, however, usual. 

Lot 3004. A fine and rare robbin's egg-ground gilt decorated archaistic bottle vase, Seal mark and period of Qianlong (1736-1795), 37.5 cm., 14 3/4 in. Estimate 5,000,000 - 7,000,000 HKD. Lot sold 35,380,000 HKD. Photo: Sotheby's

based on the archaic bronze hu form with decoration imitating bronze and green patina, of compressed ovoid section with broad shoulders rising to a collared neck, flanked by a pair of reticulated archaistic gui dragons below an everted mouth, the body moulded in low relief in a café-au-lait glaze outlined in gilt with a wide register containing four pairs of confronting gui dragons with bodies dissolving into 'hooks and volutes', set between two rows of moulded bats and bosses, with further bands of ruyi-heads and a trefoil collar around the shoulders, the neck decorated with further confronting gui dragons, all above moulded upright lappets skirting the gui dragon foot, reserved against a mottled robin's egg blue ground with details picked out in gilt, the interior glazed in a café-au-lait glaze, the countersunk base similarly glazed with a further layer of gilding and impressed with a six-character reign mark.

Provenance: Collection of Lord Loch of Drylaw (1827-1900) (by repute).
Collection of Alfred Morrison (1821-1897), Fonthill House, Tisbury, Wiltshire.
The Rt. Hon The Lord Margadale of Islay, T.D.
Christie's London, 18th October 1971, lot 52.
Jen Chai Art Gallery, New York, no. A526 (one of the gallery labels of J.T. & Co.).

Note: This large oval vase with stylised dragons vaguely inspired by archaic ritual bronzes is one of the most impressive porcelains copying a metal prototype. Among the many simulations created by the imperial workshops for the Qianlong Emperor, those imitating archaic bronzes appear to have been the most popular. Ritual bronze vessels particularly of the late Shang (c. 1600 – c. 1050 BC) and Western Zhou (c. 1050 - 771 BC) periods, which the Emperor equally collected, inspired precise trompe-l'oeil copies as well as 'modern' interpretations, like the present vase, and bronze shapes and design elements equally entered the general repertoire of Qianlong porcelain and provided inspiration for vessels otherwise unrelated to the ancient metal versions.

No simulated bronze vase of this large shape and this type of decoration appears to be otherwise recorded. In shape the present vase is loosely based on a Bronze Age hu of oval section, a form that does not however usually come with stylised dragon handles. The design equally mixes archaic designs with Qing dynasty elements: whereas the confronted dragons dissolved into almost abstract angled scrollwork derived from bronze design, the bands of auspicious bats and ruyi-heads are stylistically firmly rooted in the Qianlong period. 

Bronzes were simulated through a variety of glazes, typically a brown of 'café-au-lait' or 'tea-dust' type heightened with gold, and this was often combined with a mottled turquoise or green glaze to evoke the blue-green patina of ancient metalwork. The lavish use of robin's-egg glaze seen on the present vase is, however, unusual. 

Compare a massive vase in the Palace Museum, Beijing, echoing an archaic bronze zun with only a narrow band of this robin's egg glaze reserved on an overall tea-dust surface, illustrated in Kangxi, Yongzheng, Qianlong. Qing Porcelain from the Palace Museum Collection, Beijing, 1989, p. 412, pl. 93, together with a gu and a bell simulating bronzes, pp. 414f., pls 95 and 96. A tripod censer of Qianlong mark and period, probably lacking any turquoise glaze but decorated with very similar stylised dragons, is illustrated in Geng Baochang, Ming Qing ciqi jianding [Appraisal of Ming and Qing porcelain], Hong Kong, 1993, p. 282, fig. 486. A miniature vase of hu form with a much simpler decoration simulating inlaid bronze, with a band executed in a similar colour scheme with coffee-coloured dragon motifs raised on a mottled turquoise glaze, included in the Min Chiu Society exhibition An Anthology of Chinese Ceramics, Hong Kong Museum of Art, Hong Kong, 1980, cat. no. 138, was sold in these rooms 14th November 1989, lot 340. A porcelain gu from the Shanghai Museum, apparently unmarked and with a somewhat different turquoise glaze, was exhibited together with a Shang dynasty bronze gu of the type it copies in the exhibition Treasures from Shanghai. Ancient Chinese Bronzes and Jades, The British Museum, London, 2009, cat. nos 56 and b.

A smaller plain white vase of similar form and decoration, perhaps originally intended to receive similar glazes but remaining unfinished, and with the reign mark partly obliterated, was included in the exhibition Ethereal Elegance. Porcelain Vases of the Imperial Qing: The Huaihaitang Collection, Art Museum, Institute of Chinese Studies, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, 2007, cat. no. 2. 

Sotheby's. Fine Chinese Ceramics & Works of Art, Hong Kong, 09 Oct 2012

Lot 1602. A rare gilt-decorated teadust-glazed imitation bronze beaker vase, gu, Qianlong incised and gilded sel mark and of the period (1736-1795), 11 1/8 in. (28.3 cm.) high. Estimate USD 30,000 - USD 50,000. Price realised USD 386,500 © Christie's Images Ltd 2011

Finely molded around the spreading foot, bulbous midsection and flared neck with ruyi heads and archaistic lappets enameled in turquoise in imitation of bronze encrustation, separated by confronted chilong, key fret and archaistic elements enclosing shou roundels painted in gilding, all reserved on a teadust ground.

Provenance: Acquired prior to World War II, and thence by descent within the family. 

Note: A similary glazed, slightly smaller (27.7 cm.) Qianlong-marked gu-form 'imitation bronze' vase, is in the Qing Court collection, illustrated in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum - 39 - Porcelains with Cloisonne Enamel Decoration and Famille Rose Decoration, Hong Kong, 1999, p. 169, no. 150. 

Christie's. Fine Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art Part I & II, 15 September 2011, New York, Rockefeller Center

Lot 1530. A rare miniature molded archaistic vase and cover, Qianlong molded four-character seal mark and of the period (1736-1795), 4 in. (10.2 cm.) high. Estimate USD 60,000 - USD 80,000. Price realised USD 315,750 © Christie's Images Ltd 2013

The vase has a somewhat flattened globular body and is molded with pairs of archaistic birds on the sides between petal lappet and ruyi borders, and on the neck between the pair of archaistic bird scroll handles, all of which is covered with acafé-au-lait glaze with gilt highlights and reserved on a moldedleiwen ground finely mottled in black, turquoise and blue enamel in imitation of an ancient bronze patina. The domed cover with knob finial is decorated en suite. The interior and interior of the foot are covered with a finely speckled gold glaze. 

Provenance: Peter Mack Brown, Georgetown, Washington, D.C., 1979.  

Note: This diminutive vase and cover, with its archaistic decoration and enamels colored to suggest the patina of ancient bronze, represents a major artistic theme of the Qianlong reign. Like his predecessors, the Qianlong emperor was a great admirer and collector of antiques and was particularly fascinated with the concept of imitating one material in another. During the Qianlong reign this fascination was at its height, and lacquer, stone, wood and bronze were among the materials reproduced in porcelain. With the technical advances and virtuosity of porcelain production during the Qianlong period, potters from the official kilns were able to experiment with different ways and techniques to satisfy the emperor's penchant for the curious and archaic. 

There is a small group of Imperial Qianlong-marked porcelains to which this vase belongs, all decorated with mottled enamels of different types such as turquoise on the present piece, combined with café-au-lait-tone enamels and gilt motifs, and fashioned in imitation of ancient bronzes. Usually, the decoration on the porcelain vessels was modified from its original form and it is often difficult to determine whether they were copied from ancient prototypes or from contemporary archaistic Qianlong bronzes. Here, the central confronting birds with rounded heads form decorative roundels, rather than the more squared designs found on ancient bronzes. Similarly, while elegantly potted, the shape is an interpretation of an ancient bronze form, with the addition of a conforming low-domed cover and bud-form finial. 

One feature that appears on ancient bronze vessels and that distinguishes a few of the porcelains of this group, such as the current vessel, is the molded leiwen ground on which the raised motifs appear. As opposed to simply mottled enamels on a flat surface, the molded grounds provide a textural contrast to the flat gilt and enameled motifs. A small archaistic porcelain bell in the Palace Museum, Beijing, that also displays this rare feature beneath mottled turquoise, green and black enamels, is illustrated in Kangxi. Yongzheng. Qianlong: Qing Porcelain from the Palace Museum Collection, Hong Kong, 1989, p. 415, no. 96. 

Christie's. Fine Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art, 21 - 22 March 2013, New York, Rockefeller Center

A carved marble group of two addorsed lions marble lions from the tomb of Charles V by André Beauneveu sold for £9,349,000 / $12,088,257 / €10,648,511. World auction record for any medieval work of art. © Christie’s Images Limited 2017.

LONDON.- Christie’s Classic Week concluded on 13 July 2017, achieving a combined total of £87,169,480 / $112,601,271 / €98,976,239 across 11 sales, spanning the Decorative Arts, Antiquities, Old Master & British Paintings, Victorian, Pre-Raphaelite & British Impressionist Art, 19th Century Works of Art, Books and Manuscripts and The Collection of Raine, Countess Spencer. The week witnessed global participation from 65 countries, along with significant online bidding, highlighting the international collecting base for the Classic Week categories. Online bidding was particularly evident in Antiquities, Valuable Books and Manuscripts and The Collection of Raine, Countess Spencer, which saw over 40% of the works being bid for by online buyers. The sales were led by Francesco Guardi’s The Rialto Bridge with the Palazzo Dei Camerlenghi, which realised £26,205,000 / $33,883,065 / €29,847,496, the highest price achieved for an Old Master painting this year across all houses and the marble lions from the tomb of Charles V by André Beauneveu, which sold for £9,349,000 / $12,088,257 / €10,648,511, a world auction record for any medieval work of art. The Collection of Raine, Countess Spencer inspired determined bidding, achieving £1,905,938 / $2,458,660 / €2,146,086, with sell-through rates of 93% by lot and 95% by value and brings the total for the collection to £2,753,938 / $3,555,124 / €3,111,958, including the paintings offered in the Old Masters Evening Sale. The top lot of the sale was an 18 carat gold, ruby and diamond parure by Van Cleef & Arpels, which realised £221,000 / $285,090 / €248,846. Further highlights of Classic Week include Albert Einstein’s billiard briar pipe, which achieved £52,500 / $67,253 / €58,590, against a pre-sale estimate of £5,000 to £8,000 and The Maria Fitzherbert Jewel, which sold for £341,000 / $440,913 / €388,399, achieving an artist record for a portrait miniature by Richard Cosway. The results of this week demonstrates the confidence of a buoyant global market for the Classic Week sales and confirms the success of the cross-category concept. 

Lot 25. Francesco Guardi (Venice 1712-1793), Venice: the Rialto Bridge with the Palazzo dei Camerlenghi, signed ‘GUARDI’ (lower left), oil on canvas, 47 1/8 x 80½ in. (119.7 x 204.3 cm). Estimate On Request. Price realised £26,205,000 / $33,883,065 / €29,847,496, the highest price achieved for an Old Master painting this year across all houses. © Christie's Images Ltd 2017 

(Cf. http://www.alaintruong.com/archives/2017/07/08/35458922.html)

Lot 180. An 18 carat gold, ruby and diamond parure, by Van Cleef & Arpels. Estimate £100,000 - 150,000 (USD 129,000 - USD 193,500). Price realised £221,000 / $285,090 / €248,846. © Christie's Images Ltd 2017

(Cf. my post http://www.alaintruong.com/archives/2017/07/11/35469392.html)

CLASSIC WEEK BY NUMBERS

• Christie’s July 2017 Classic Week total: £87,169,480 / $112,601,271 / €98,976,239. 

• 34% increase in online registrants from July 2016 Classic Week and global record numbers of online registrations were seen for the following categories: Antiquities, Valuable Books and Manuscripts, 19th Century European and Orientalist Art. 

• The online sale, Einstein: Letters to a friend achieved sell-through rates of 100% by lot and value, achieving £1,291,667 / $1,666,250 / €1,454,417, over five times its low estimate.  

• Registered bidders from 65 countries for Classic Week sales, up from 53 last season. 

• Strong average sell-through rates: 80% by lot and 80% by value. 

• 1,216 works of art sold during Classic Week.  

Significant participation of public institutions acquiring: 

Lot 144. A ceremonial bronze dirk of the 'Plougrescant-Ommerschans' type, Middle Bronze Age, circa 1500-1350 B.C.; 26 ¾ in. (68.3 cm). high. Estimate £80,000 - 120,000 (USD 101,840 - USD 152,760). Sold for £485,000 / $626,135 / €550,475) to the Rijksmuseum van Oudheden© Christie's Images Ltd 2017 

(Cf. http://www.alaintruong.com/archives/2017/07/03/35442595.html)

Lot 47. Giuseppe Cades (Rome 1750-1799), Portrait of the princes Camillo and Francesco Borghese as young boys, signed, dated and inscribed 'G Cades 1778/ ritratti de principi Borghese nella loro fanciullezza./ PAOLO V.' and 'Facata di S. Pietro di Roma', black and red chalk, brown and grey wash, heightened with white (partly oxidized), the heads of the boys cut out and laid down, watermark bend with a fleur-de-lys, 11 7/8 x 9 7/8 in. (30.2 x 25 cm). Estimate £20,000 - GBP 30,000. Sold for £56,250 / $72,618 / €63,843 to the Metropolitan Museum of Art. © Christie's Images Ltd 2017 

Lot 29. Domenico Maria Canuti (Bologna 1625-1684), The Apotheosis of Romulus: design for a ceiling decoration, black chalk, pen and brown ink, brown wash, heightened with white, with perspectival indications, watermark Orsini Arms, 9 3/8 x 14 7/8 in. (24 x 37.7 cm). Estimate £10,000 - GBP 15,000. Sold for £20,000 / $25,820 / €22,700 to the Cleveland Museum of Art. © Christie's Images Ltd 2017

Lot 65. Gaspar van Wittel, called Vanvitelli (Amersfoort 1652/53-1736 Rome), A view of Amersfoort from the Eem river, indistinctively described '[...]ate nel[...]' (lower right), bodycolour on vellum, traces of red chalk squaring, laid down on panel, 10¾ x 18 7/8 in. (27.5 x 48 cm). Estimate £150,000 - GBP 250,000. Sold for £20,000 / $25,820 / €22,700 to the Cleveland Museum of Art. © Christie's Images Ltd 2017

The Museum Flehite, Amersfoort with the support of Vereniging Rembrandt: Gaspar van Wittel, called Vanvitelli, A view of Amersfoort (price realised: £185,000 / $238,835 / €209,975)  

19 Auction Records were set for: 

Lot 10. A carved marble group of two addorsed lions marble lions from the tomb of Charles V by André Beauneveu (circa 1335–1402), 1364–66. With entwined tails, on an integrally carved rectangular base with applied silver plaque engraved ‘THESE LYONS/ were brought from ST. DENNIS in 1802/ by Sir T. N. having been placed at the feet of the recumbent statue of CHARLES the V of/ FRANCE on the TOMB which is now in PARIS in the MUSÉE DES MONUMENS.’; traces of gilding, the reverse simply finished, 17¾ in. (45 cm.) wide; 11½ in. (29.2 cm.) high; 4 ¾ in. (12 cm) deep. Estimate On Request. Sold for £9,349,000 / $12,088,257 / €10,648,511. World auction record for any medieval work of art. © Christie’s Images Limited 2017.

Lot 14. The Maria Fitzherbert Jewel. A diamond-glazed locket containing a portrait of King George IV when Prince of Wales (1762-1830), the portrait miniature, on ivory, by Richard Cosway, R.A. (British, 1742-1821), the locket almost certainly supplied by Rundell, Bridge & Rundell, London, circa 1800. Estimate £80,000 - 120,000. Sold for £341,000 / $440,913 / €388,399. © Christie’s Images Limited 2017.

Lot 4. A glazed terracotta roundel depicting the Virgin and Child with an adoring angel, by Santi Buglioni (1494-1576), Florence, circa 1510-20,  49 in. (124.5 cm.) diam.; 7 ½ in. (19 cm.) deep. Estimate £60,000 -  100,000. Sold for £68,750/ $88,894 / €78,300. © Christie’s Images Limited 2017.

Lot 24. A pair of Louis XVI engraved, gilt and polychrome-decorated silver foil views of the Chateau dee Saint Hubert, by Thomas Compigné, circa 1775, 9 ¼ x 12 ¼ in. (23.4 x 31 cm), 11 3/8 x 14 3/8 in. (28.8 x 36.5 cm.) with frames. Estimate £40,000 - 60,000. Sold for £50,000/ $64,650 / €56,950. © Christie’s Images Limited 2017.

Lot 3. David Rijckaert II (Antwerp 1589-1642), A stoneware ewer, a Berkemeyer and a conical glass in abekerschroef, with confectionary in a silver platter, on a ledge, oil on panel, 19 5/8 x 13 5/8 in. (49.7 x 35.1 cm). Estimate £70,000 - 100,000. Price realised £557,000 / $720,201 / €634,423) © Christie's Images Ltd 2017

(Cf. my post: http://www.alaintruong.com/archives/2017/07/07/35455894.html)

Lot 6. The Master of the Antwerp Adoration (active Antwerp c. 1505-1530), A triptych: the central panel: The Crucifixion; the wings: the inner faces: A Donor, Saint James, a Carthusian monk with an angel and Christ in the Garden of Gethsemane; A Donor, Saint Elizabeth of Hungary, a beggar with an angel and Christ Appearing to Mary Magdalene; the outer faces: Christ and the Virgin ministering to the damned, oil on panel, in an engaged frame, open: 46 ¾ x 67 ¾ in. (118.8 x 172.1 cm.); closed: 46 ¾ x 37 7/8 in. (118.8 x 96.2 cm). Estimate £600,000 - 800,000. Price realised: £965,000 / $1,247,745 / €1,099,135. © Christie's Images Ltd 2017

Lot 17. Liberale da Verona (Verona c. 1445–1526/9), Tobias and the Angel: a cassone panel, tempera, gold and silver on panel, 21 ¾ x 68 7/8 in. (55 x 174.7 cm). Estimate £150,000 - 250,000. Price realised: £317,000 / $409,881 / €361,063 © Christie's Images Ltd 2017

Lot 19. Pellegrino di Mariano Rossini (active 1449–1492), The Story of Mars and Venus: a cassone panel, tempera and gold on panel, 17 5/8 x 56 5/8 in. (44.8 x 144.9 cm). Estimate £60,000 - 100,000. Price realised: £81,250 / $105,056 / €92,544 © Christie's Images Ltd 2017

Lot 31. Alessandro Rosi (Florence c. 1627- c. 1707), The Holy Family, oil on canvas, 47 5/8 x 43 7/8 in. (121 x 111.5 cm). Estimate £150,000 - 250,000. Price realised: £233,000 / $301,269 / €265,387 © Christie's Images Ltd 2017

Lot 1. Timoteo Viti (Urbino 1469-1523), The Massacre of the Innocents (recto); Study of a head (verso), with inscription 'R. Vrb.' (recto) and '243' (verso), black chalk, pen and brown ink, 6¼ x 12½ in. (15.8 x 31.8 cm). Estimate £25,000 - 35,000. Price realised: £173,000 / $223,342 / €196,355) © Christie's Images Ltd 2017

Lot 20. Jusepe de Ribera, lo Spagnoletto (Valencia 1591-1652 Naples), Two men hunting pigeons and a woman carrying a basket on her head standing beside (recto); Two head studies (verso, faintly visible through the recto), pen and brown ink, brown wash, 4½ x 7¼ in. (12.3 x 18.5 cm). Estimate £80,000 - 120,000. Price realised: £185,000 / $238,835 / €209,975© Christie's Images Ltd 2017

Lot 21. Carlo Maratti (Camerano 1625-1713 Rome), Saint John the Evangelist disputing the Doctrine of the Immaculate Conception with Saints Gregory, Augustine and John Chrysostom, traces of black and red chalk, within an arched top, the upper edge trimmed, 21½ x 12¾ in. (54.5 x 32.3 cm). Estimate £80,000 - 120,000. Price realised: £209,000 / $269,819 / €237,215© Christie's Images Ltd 2017  

Lot 46. Luigi Sabatelli (Florence 1772-1850), Armida and the sleeping Rinaldo on a chariot drawn by dragons and escorted by putti, signed 'Luigi Sabatelli feci[t]', traces of black chalk, pen and brown ink, 18 7/8 x 29¾ in. (47.9 x 75.4 cm). Estimate £20,000 - 30,000. Price realised: £60,000 / $77,460 / €68,100 © Christie's Images Ltd 2017  

Lot 57. Adriaen van der Werff (Kralingen 1659- 1722 Rotterdam), Apollo and Daphne (recto); Fragmentary sketches (verso), with inscription ‘L’enlèvement de Daphné par Apollon/ de la Collection Pieneman [the name partly erased]/ artiste peintre’ and ‘Corrège’ (verso), red chalk, stumping, the lower right margin made up, watermark Seven Provinces, 11½ x 9¼ in. (29.2 x 23.5 cm). Estimate £10,000 - 20,000. Price realised: £12,500 / $16,137 / €14,187 © Christie's Images Ltd 2017 

Lot 64.  Hendrik Gerrit ten Cate (Amsterdam 1803-1856), A wooded landscape with figures by a pond, with inscription 'Coll v d Duchesse [?] v Brussel [?]/ [...] 30 mei 1826/ no 69 H G ten Cate/ N? 28.' (verso), black chalk, point of the brush and grey wash, partial black chalk framing lines, fragmentary watermark with letter H, 14 7/8 x 13¼ in. (37.6 x 33.7 cm). Estimate £10,000 - 20,000. Price realised: £20,000 / $25,820 / €22,700 © Christie's Images Ltd 2017 

Lot 108. Samuel Frederick Brocas (Dublin 1792-1847), The General Post Office and Nelson's Pillar, Sackville Street, with the Dublin Lying-in Hospital beyond, pen and ink and watercolour, 13¾ x 21¼ in. (34.9 x 54 cm). Estimate £15,000 - 20,000. Price realised: £20,000 / $25,820 / €22,700 © Christie's Images Ltd 2017 

Lot 93. George Romney (Dalton-in-Furness, Lancashire 1734-1802 Kendal), The Dream of Atossa, pencil and brown ink, brown wash, 11 x 16 3/8 in. (27.9 x 41.6 cm). Estimate £20,000 - 30,000. Price realised: £81,250 / $104,893 / €92,218) (record for a work on paper) © Christie's Images Ltd 2017 

Lot 23. Pollie Clarke (fl. 1893-1902), A moment of victory, dated '1902.' (lower left), oil on canvas, 54 ¼ x 84 ¼ in. (137.8 x 214 cm). Estimate £30,000 - 50,000. Price realised: £30,000 / $38,610 / €33,870 © Christie's Images Ltd 2017 

Lot 26. George Woolliscroft Rhead (1855-1920), O Salutaris Hostia, signed with monogram and dated '1885' (lower left) and inscribed 'O SÀLVTÀRIS . HOSTI QVÀE . COELI . PÀNDIS . OSTIVM . BELLÀ . PREMVNT . HOSTILIÀ . DÀ...OBVR . FER . ÀVXILIVM .' (lower centre), oil on canvas, unframed, 36 x 79 in. (91.4 x 200.7 cm). Estimate £30,000 - 50,000. Price realised: £75,000 / $96,525 / €84,675 © Christie's Images Ltd 2017 

Lot 507. A rare and superbly decorated 'famille-rose' altar vase, Seal mark and period of Yongzheng (1723-1735), 45.2 cm, 17 3/4 in. Estimate 6,000,000 — 8,000,000 HKD. Lot sold 22,720,000 HKD. Photo: Sotheby's

of exceptionally well potted hexagonal section, the central section sharply tapering towards the base, masterfully moulded to each side with a panel of conforming section enclosing a Buddhist altar vase in low relief wreathed by foliate scrolls, the panels recessed into a shaded black ground decorated with florets and gilt leaves, below broad flattened shoulders crisply moulded with an elaborate festoon band suspending gilt seed-filled swags, each with a bird flying above amid dense meandering foliate scrolls, the shoulders surmounted by a collar decorated with leafy scrolls bearing large lotus blooms below a raised gilt band moulded in European style with interlacing lozenges, the tall trumpet neck moulded with slender ornate fluted panels, each bordered by a raised gilt band and enclosing interlinked strapwork studded with florets, the panels forming a pattern of rounded petals on the interior of the vase, all supported on a splayed base comprising a collar with a further lotus scroll above two bands of moulded acanthus leaves, the moulded carving and brilliant 'famille-rose' enamels giving depth and emphasis to the designs, the interior and base turquoise, with a central square reserved in white for the six-character seal-mark in underglaze-blue.

Provenance: From the private collection of a Parisian dealer who ceased trading in the 1950s.

Note: This spectacular vase marks an important step in the development of Chinese ceramics. It is among the earliest porcelains decorated in this colourful style which clearly derived its inspiration from enamelwork on a metal body; an exceedingly rare porcelain piece reflecting the influence of Western court artists; and last but not least, it is a staggering technical tour-de-force of Jingdezhen’s imperial potters and porcelain painters.

The Yongzheng period introduced the greatest number of innovations to Chinese porcelain design and probably created the aesthetically and technically most sophisticated works of art. While many Yongzheng designs are remarkable for their painterly approach in the classical Chinese taste, characterized by asymmetrical compositions with fluid brush lines, the present vase which follows the opposite approach, is proof of the openness of the Yongzheng Emperor to completely new concepts. 

Although produced by the imperial porcelain manufactories of Jingdezhen in south-central China, the present vase would seem to owe its metropolitan flair and flamboyant panache to court artisans engaged in the capital. The striking angularity of the form and the symmetrical layout of the design suggest 'construction' on the drawing board rather than on a potter’s wheel. Tang Ying, the grand master of Qing China’s porcelain industry, designed porcelain for the Jingdezhen imperial workshops while he worked at the court in Beijing, and it is perhaps more than a coincidence that the profile of this vase is rather similar to that of the blue-and-white Tang Ying vase, also in this collection, lot 508. Other court artisans are likely to have done the same, and in this case, European craftsmen in the service of the Emperor must be responsible for the baroque exuberance of this piece.

The Yongzheng Emperor was highly selective about the Jesuit artists he kept at court. In comparison with his father’s reign, he dramatically limited the number of Westerners engaged in the palace workshops, keeping only those whose artistry he considered outstanding, most notably Giuseppe Castiglione. Only under the Qianlong Emperor did their presence at court increase again dramatically. And while the large-scale European-style building work at the Yuanmingyuan Imperial garden began only in the Qianlong period, the first such 'follies' were already constructed for the Yongzheng Emperor: A rare European-style gateway is depicted, for example, on a painting showing the Yongzheng Emperor in a palace setting; see the exhibition catalogue China. The Three Emperors 1662 - 1795, Royal Academy of Arts, London, 2005, p.95. 

With its dense raised patterning and intense colouration, its complete coverage of the porcelain surface with enamel, and especially its turquoise interior and base, this vase seems ahead of its time. While this style is otherwise unknown in the Yongzheng reign, it became one of the Qianlong Emperor’s favorite styles.

The vase represents a temple vase and although such altar garnitures generally consisted of an incense burner, a pair of candlesticks and a pair of vases, no such set appears to be preserved. One pair of vases of the same form, design and coloration, and marked in the same way, is in the Walters Art Gallery, Baltimore, illustrated in S.W. Bushell, Oriental Ceramic Art, London, 1981 (1896), col.pl. XX; another single vase was sold in these rooms, 20 May 1987, lot 565. A pair of hexagonal vases of this form and design, but slightly different coloration was sold together with a matching octagonal incense burner at Christie’s London, 7 April 1982, lot 62, from the collection of Colonel H.S. Stern; one of the vases was later sold in these rooms, 9 November 1982, lot 291, and the censer, 19 November 1986, lot 265. A slightly smaller single vase of this form, with the same design on an overall turquoise ground and with a four-character Yongzheng seal mark, is in the Shanghai Museum, published in Chugoku toji zenshu, vol.21, Kyoto, 1981, pl.99.

Vase for a Buddhist Altar, 1723-1735, porcelain with overglaze enamels. H: 16 5/8 × W: 6 15/16 × D: 7 7/8 in. (42.3 × 17.7 × 20 cm), 49.2017 Walters Art Gallery, Baltimore© Creative Commons Licence

Vase for a Buddhist Altar, 1723-1735, porcelain with overglaze enamels. H: 16 5/8 × W: 6 15/16 × D: 7 15/16 in. (42.3 × 17.6 × 20.2 cm), 49.2016 Walters Art Gallery, Baltimore © Creative Commons Licence

Although the style clearly takes its inspiration from works enamelled on a copper body, no such prototypes appear to be recorded. Two pairs of unmarked Canton enamel vases of similar form, probably of slightly later date, and one with Western gilt-bronze mounts and with handles echoing those of the porcelain incense burner mentioned above, are illustrated in T.B. Arapova, Chinese Painted Enamels, Moscow, 1988, pls 181 and 182, nos 260-263.

Sotheby's. Important Chinese Art: The Collection of a Parisian Connoisseur, Hong Kong, 08 Apr 2007

 Lot 513. A superbly enamelled and very rare doucai and 'famille-rose''Eight Fruits' vase, meiping, Qing dynasty, Yongzheng-Qianlong period (1723-1795), 34.5 cm., 13 1/2 in. Estimate Upon Request. Lot sold 10,960,000 HKD. Photo: Sotheby's

finely potted with rounded shoulders gently curving to a slightly waisted neck with lipped rim, exquisitely painted in brilliant translucent enamels outlined in underglaze-blue and highlighted in 'famille-rose' colours with eight detached fruiting sprays of pomegranate, peach, finger-citron, cherry, longan, loquat, grape and lychee, the fruit delicately shaded in layered tones of pink, aubergine, lime-green and yellow, borne amid slender branches rising from lingzhi fungus sprigs, with foliage in two shades of green, all between a band of upright yellow-ground lappets heavily bordered in dark underglaze-blue around the base and pendant yellow ruyi heads at the shoulder, the neck encircled by a band of pomegranate motifs coloured in green, above a wave border studded with florets, the base slightly sunken and ground.

Provenance: From the private collection of a Parisian dealer who ceased trading in the 1950s.
Acquired in France in 1973.

Note: The two decades or so of the Yongzheng and early Qianlong periods undoubtedly were among the most fruitful periods for the development of Chinese porcelain. They were marked by both Emperors' deep appreciation and understanding of the aesthetic harmony and technical virtuosity achieved by craftsmen of the past, and at the same time by their keen ambition to equal or exceed those qualities without relapsing into imitation. The period is remarkable for the rich variety of styles inspired by antiquities but adapted to contemporary taste and for its outstanding standard of quality.

The present vase echoes the past in multiple ways, taking its cues from the most glorious reigns of the Ming dynasty, but adopting a colour scheme which had only been developed some years earlier. In shape and design it loosely follows an early Ming prototype: blue-and-white vases of meiping form decorated with six fruiting branches are among the most characteristic products of the Yongle period (1403 - 1424); for an example see the vase sold in our London rooms, 15 December 1987, lot 142. The doucai painting style, with its delicate drawing in fine blue outlines and its colouration in polychrome washes was the archetypal style of decoration in the Chenghua reign (1465 - 1487), when the colours, however, were still limited to a few bright shades. It was only in the 1720s that the wide range of tones and the subtle variety of tints used on this vase became available; but this combination of doucai style and famille rose palette always remained rare.

Like many other blue-and-white styles of the early Ming period, this design was re-invented and transformed in several different ways during the Yongzheng Emperor’s reign, before becoming one of the favourites of the Qianlong Emperor, for whom it was reproduced in some quantity, mainly in blue-and-white.

The present vase is unique in its design and colour scheme, and polychrome versions are extremely rare in general. It may be compared with two famous meiping, one from the John D. Rockefeller 3rd Collection at the Asia Society, New York, which is painted in enamels of the famille rose only with a more freely composed design of the san duo, 'the three abundances', pomegranate, peach and loquat; see Denise Patry Leidy, Treasures of Asian Art. The Asia Society’s Mr. and Mrs. John D. Rockefeller 3rd Collection, New York, 1994, pl.200; and its companion piece in the Walters Art Gallery, Baltimore, published in Rose Kerr, ‘The William T. Walters Collection of Qing Dynasty Porcelain’, Orientations, April 1991, p.61, fig.9.

Vase with Pomegranates, Peaches, and Longans, 1723-1735, porcelain with overglaze enamels. H: 13 3/8 x Diam: 8 15/16 in. (33.97 x 22.7 cm), 49.2217, Walters Art Gallery, Baltimore© Creative Commons Licence

Lot 504. A superbly enamelled yellow-ground 'falangcai' bowl, puce enamel Yuzhi mark and period of Kangxi, 14.2 cm., 5 1/2 in. Estimate 5,000,000 — 7,000,000 HKD. Lot sold 8,384,000 HKD. Photo: Sotheby's

finely potted with deep rounded sides rising from a short foot to an everted rim, delicately painted on the exterior with flowering chrysanthemum, day lily, and rose, the intermingling branches rising from the base and bearing luscious blooms in shaded tones of pink, lilac, blue, and pale lime-green, amid dense curled foliage picked-out in spinach and apple tones of green interspersed with tight and opening buds, all against a bright egg-yolk yellow-ground, the interior and base glazed white, inscribed to the base with the four-character mark within a double square in puce enamel.

Provenance: Acquired in France.

Note: Kangxi pieces enamelled in the Imperial palace workshops are among the rarest types of Imperial porcelain, since this technique of enamelling on porcelain began to be practised in the Forbidden City only in the very last years of the Kangxi reign. The intensity and richness of the enamels achieved by the Imperial enamelling workshops under the Kangxi Emperor is unsurpassed. Since raw materials were scarce and precious, production figures were minimal and every piece received individual treatment.

The present pattern, with its elegant combination of roses, lilies and chrysanthemums, shows one of the rare freely composed flower designs and appears to be unique. Very few pieces with this rich egg-yellow ground from the palace workshops seem to be preserved altogether, and they are more often decorated with formal flower patterns than naturalistically rendered scenes like the present bowl.

Two other yellow-ground Kangxi bowls in the Palace Museum, Beijing, both with naturalistically painted and asymmetrically composed peony designs, are illustrated in Kangxi, Yongzheng, Qianlong. Qing Porcelain from the Palace Museum Collection, Hong Kong, 1989, pp.99ff., pls 82 and 84, together with a yellow-ground bowl with a formally laid-out, stylized peony pattern, pl.83, all illustrated again in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum. Porcelains with Cloisonné Enamel Decoration and Famille Rose Decoration, Hong Kong, 1999, pls 4-6. Two further yellow-ground bowls with different composite flower designs were sold in these rooms, one 12/13 May 1976, lot 364; the other 29 November 1978, lot 369, 19 May 1987, lot 311, and again 14 November 1989, lot 319, from the T.Y. Chao collection; and a smaller bowl with flared rim 26 October 2003, lot 19.

Compare also two smaller and shallower yellow-ground bowls with freely painted lotus pond and composite flower designs, respectively, published in Porcelain of the National Palace Museum. Fine-Enamelled Ware of the Ch'ing Dynasty. K'ang-hsi Period, Hong Kong, 1967, pls 25 and 27. 

For the more common, formally decorated bowls with Kangxi yuzhi marks, compare two examples in the National Palace Museum, Taiwan, included in the Museum’s Special Exhibition of Ch'ing Dynasty Enamelled Porcelains of the Imperial Ateliers, Taipei, 1992, cat.nos 3 and 4.

Sotheby's. Important Chinese Art: The Collection of a Parisian Connoisseur, Hong Kong, 08 Apr 2007

Lot 525. A fine and rare 'wucai''garlic-mouth' vase, Mark and period of Wanli (1573-1620), 53.9 cm., 21 1/4 in. Estimate 3,500,000 — 4,500,000 HKD. Lot sold 7,264,000 HKD. Photo: Sotheby's

Lot 456. A fine and rare wucai 'garlic head' vase, mark and period of Wanli (1573-1620), 53.8cm., 21 1/4 in. Estimate 3,500,000 — 4,500,000 HKD. Sold for 4,040,000 HKD. Photo: Sotheby's.

the stoutly potted large pear-shaped body decorated in the wucai palette with frolicking mandarin ducks, herons and various other birds in a lotus pond grown with reeds and willow trees, beneath a band of ruyilappets at the shoulder dividing foliate flowerheads, the tall neck with butterflies, a frog and a cricket amongst flower sprays issuing from ornamental rocks, the garlic-head shaped mouth with an elaborate band of ruyi-lappets enclosing lotus sprigs and hanging jewels, beneath the rim with the mark inscribed within a cartouche reserved on a multi-coloured key-fret border, the base unglazed.

Note: The present vase belongs to a group of wucai vases of the same shape with varying decoration.  A similar vase from the Palace Museum, Beijing, was included in Ming Qing Works of Art, Beijing, 1974, col.pl. 9.  See also one illustrated in John Ayers, The Baur Collection, vol. 2, Geneva, 1969, no. A203; and two related vases from the Idemitsu Museum of Arts, with waterfowl design, foliage scroll around the shoulder and pendent foliage around the head, exhibited by the Museum of Oriental Ceramics, Osaka, and illustrated in Imperial overglaze - Enamelled Wares in the Late Ming Dynasty, Osaka, 1995, pl. 22.  For an example decorated with dragons chasing ‘flaming pearls’ see Liu Liang-yu, Ming Official Wares: A Survey of Chinese Ceramics, Taipei, 1991, p. 257.

Lot 512. A rare 'famille-rose''sanduo' vase, tianqiuping, Seal mark and period of Qianlong (1736-1795), 51.5 cm., 20 1/4 in. Estimate 3,000,000 - 4,000,000 HKD. Lot sold 5,472,000 HKD. Photo: Sotheby's

well potted with generous globular body rising to a slightly flared cylindrical neck, painted around the sides with luxurious fruiting branches of peach, pomegranate and finger-citron, constituting the 'sanduo', the 'Three Abundances', the fruit delicately shaded in tones of pink, copper-red, yellow and lime-green, growing from gnarled branches intertwining as they rise from the base, the leaves in two shades of green interspersed with pomegranate and peach blossoms and buds, inscribed on the base with the six-character seal-mark in underglaze-blue.

Provenance: Acquired in France.

Note: Qianlong tianqiuping decorated with the sanduo motif are extremely rare. The present vase is exceptional for its fine enamelling of this auspicious design and for its magnificent large size. This vase is reminiscent of Qianlong peach vases of which several from the former imperial collection are now dispersed in various museum collections; two examples still in Beijing are illustrated in Kangxi, Yongzheng, Qianlong: Qing Porcelain from the Palace Museum Collection, Hong Kong, 1989, p. 335, pl. 16, and in the Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum: Porcelain with Cloisonne Enamel Decoration and Famille Rose Decoration, Hong Kong, 1999, pl. 86; a third preserved in one of the former imperial summer residences in Liaoning is published in The Gathering of Select Gems from Shenyang Imperial Palace Museum Collection, Shenyang, 1991, p. 33 right; and one in Taiwan is published in the Illustrated Catalogue of Ch'ing Dynasty Porcelain in the National Palace Museum. Ch'ien-lung Ware and Other Wares, Tokyo, 1981, pl. 27.

Compare a Qianlong mark and period tianqiuping painted with magpies perched on pomegranate branches, from the Bruce collection, sold in our London rooms, 12th May 1953, lot 128, and now in the City Art Gallery, Bristol, illustrated in Soame Jenyns, Later Chinese Porcelain, London, 1951, col. pl. D; and a Qianlong vase of ovoid form painted with the sanduo motif, from the collections of Alfred Morrison and the Rt. Hon. the Lord Margadale of Islay, T.D. at Fonthill House, Tisbury, Wiltshire, sold in these rooms, 29th October 1991, lot 286, and again, 25th April 2004, lot 246.

A very rare gilded 'famille-rose' blue-ground 'sanduo' vase, Iron-red seal mark and period of Qianlong (1736-1795), 32.1 cm., 12 5/8 in. Sold for 5,102,400 HKD at Sotheby's Hong Kong, 25th April 2004, lot 246.  Photo: Sotheby's

Sotheby's. Important Chinese Art: The Collection of a Parisian Connoisseur, Hong Kong, 08 Apr 2007

Lot 246. A very rare gilded 'famille-rose' blue-ground 'sanduo' vase, Iron-red seal mark and period of Qianlong (1736-1795), 32.1 cm., 12 5/8 in. Estimate 4,000,000 — 6,000,000 HKD. Lot sold 5,102,400 HKD. Photo: Sotheby's

of ovoid form tapering to a slightly splayed foot and rising to the waisted neck with flared mouth and inturned rim, the body finely painted in famille-rose enamels with a continuous panel enclosing stems of flowering white lilies entwined around the lower branches of a pomegranate tree, the knotty branches bearing red multi-petalled flowers and plump fruits, some burst open to reveal raspberry-red seeds, all reserved against a gilt- decorated blue ground between moulded lappet and ruyi-head borders, the shoulders and neck with further pomegranate flowers enclosed by flying butterflies and separated by florets and lozenges intertwined with its leafy stems, the mouth encircled by alternating leaves and stylised lotuses, the interior and base glazed turquoise.

Provenance: Collection of Alfred Morrison (1821-1897)
Collection of the Rt. Hon.The Lord Margadale of Islay, T.D., at Fonthill House, Tisbury, Wiltshire
Sotheby's Hong Kong, 29th October, 1991, lot 286

Note: A Qianlong vase of different shape decorated with branches of fruiting pomegranate, peach, finger citron and persimmon, between similar gilt and blue-ground borders on the neck and foot, was sold in these rooms, 27th October 1992, lot 161. Compare also a cylindrical vase painted with a landscape scene, but with similar gilt and blue ground borders, illustrated in Kangxi, Yongzheng, Qianlong. Qing Porcelain from the Palace Museum Collection, Hong Kong, 1989, pl. 30.

Sotheby's. Fine Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art, Hong Kong, 25 avr. 2004

Lot 645. A 10.05 cts Fancy gray-yellowish green chameleon diamond and platinum ring, by Carvin French. Est: €300,000 - €350,000. © Artcurial

En platine (950) ornée d''un rare diamant " caméléon " taillé en brillant, dans un pavage de diamants multicolores taillés en brillant - Poids du diamant caméléon : 10.05 cts - Poids total des diamants multicolores: env. 11.01 cts - Poinçon du joaillier - Tour de doigt : 52, Poids brut : 28.48 g 

Accompagné d''un certificat du laboratoire GIA (2016) indiquant sa couleur naturelle " Fancy gray-yellowish green " et sa pureté VVS2. 
Cette couleur peut changer temporairement si chauffée légèrement ou laissée dans la pénombre pour une longue période.

Artcurial, July 18, 2017, 6:00 PM CET, Monte-Carlo, Monaco

Lot 561. A 7.01 cts Burma "vivid red - pigeon''s blood" ruby, diamond and platinum ring, by Graff. Est: €280,000 - €300,000. © Artcurial

En platine (950) ornée d''un rubis ovale, l''épaulement serti d''un diamant piriforme entre deux diamants navettes, soulignés de diamants taillés en brillant - Poids du rubis: 7.01 cts - Signée Graff - Tour de doigt: 54, Poids brut: 11.44 g  

Accompagné d''un certificat du laboratoire GRS (2007) indiquant origine de Birmanie, sans traitement thermique, couleur "vivid red - pigeon''s blood".

Artcurial, July 18, 2017, 6:00 PM CET, Monte-Carlo, Monaco

Lot 591. A 7.99 cts Colombian emerald, diamond and 18k white gold ring. Est: €200,000 - €230,000.. © Artcurial

En or gris 18k (750) ornée d''une émeraude octogonale à pans, cernée de huit diamants taillés en navette - Poids de l''émeraude: 7.99 cts - Tour de doigt: 54, Poids brut: 10.13 g  

Accompagnée d''un certificat du laboratoire SSEF (2016) indiquant origine Colombie, sans aucune modification.

Artcurial, July 18, 2017, 6:00 PM CET, Monte-Carlo, Monaco

Lot 546 An 6.22 cts Zambian emerald, diamond, sapphire and 18k white gold "Liberty" ring, by John Rubel Paris. Est: 145 000 € - 155 000 €. © Artcurial

En or gris 18k (750) ornée d''une exceptionnelle émeraude rectangulaire à pans, retenue par quatre saphirs piriformes, dans un double entourage, le premier de baguettes en onyx, le second de diamants taillés en trapèze ou en baguette, l''épaulement serti de saphirs calibrés en chute - Poids de l''émeraude: 6.22 cts - Signée John Rubel Paris - Dans son écrin - Tour de doigt: 53, Poids brut: 8.87 g   

Accompagnée de deux certificats des laboratoires SSEF et GRS (2014) indiquant origine Zambie, sans aucune modification. 

Avec son certificat d''authenticité .

Artcurial, July 18, 2017, 6:00 PM CET, Monte-Carlo, Monaco

Lot 576. A natural pearl, diamond and platinum clip de corsage, by Cartier, Art Deco period. Est: €120,000 - €150,000. © Artcurial

En platine (950) stylisé d''un panache orné de trois importantes perles fines piriformes, celle du centre grise, les culots coniques sertis de diamants taillés en 8/8 surmontés de deux diamants taillés en coussin, de diamants taillés en baguette, à l''ancienne ou hexagonaux 
Poids de la perle grise: 37.57 cts (150.28 grains), Poids des perles blanches: 32.01 cts (128.04 grains) - Signé Cartier Paris LL4446, poinçon du joaillier - Haut.: 4.5 cm, Poids brut: 31.15 g    

Accompagné d''un certificat du laboratoire du LFG (2017).

Artcurial, July 18, 2017, 6:00 PM CET, Monte-Carlo, Monaco

Lot 607. A 30.72 cts Burma sapphire, diamond and 18k white gold ring. Est: €100,000 - €150,000. © Artcurial

En or gris 18k (750) ornée d''un rare saphir taillé en pain de sucre, cerné d''un fin bandeau comme l''épaulement mouvementé, sertis de diamants taillés en brillant - Poids du saphir: 30.72 cts -Tour de doigt: 53, Poids brut: 19.15 g     

Accompagné de deux certificats du laboratoire GUBELIN (2011) et AGL (2010) indiquant origine de Birmanie, sans traitement thermique.

Artcurial, July 18, 2017, 6:00 PM CET, Monte-Carlo, Monaco

Lot 643. A pair of 9.45 cts and 9.25 cts diamond and platinum ear pendants, by Chaumet, circa 1935. Est: €100,000 - €120,000. © Artcurial

En platine (950) ornés chacun d''un diamant rectangulaire retenant un diamant piriforme tailléà l''ancienne en pampille - Poinçon du joaillier Chaumet - - Haut.: 2.7 cm, Poids brut: 13.23 g 

Accompagnés de deux certificats du laboratoire du LFG (2017) indiquant: pour le 9.45 cts, couleur I, pureté VS2, fluorescence faible, et pour le 9.25 cts, couleur I, pureté VS1, fluorescence faible.

Artcurial, July 18, 2017, 6:00 PM CET, Monte-Carlo, Monaco

Lot 634. A 11.88 cts Burma sapphire, diamond and platinum dôme ring. Est: €80,000 - €90,000. © Artcurial

En platine (950) ornée d''un saphir ovale, dans un double entourage de diamants taillés en brillant et en navette - Poids du saphir: 11.88 cts - Tour de doigt: 51, Poids brut: 13.33 g  

Accompagné d''un certificat du laboratoire Gubelin (2010), indiquant origine Birmanie, pas de traitement thermique.

Artcurial, July 18, 2017, 6:00 PM CET, Monte-Carlo, Monaco