LONDON.- A fascinating selection of items reflecting all aspects of decorative arts from all over the world will be included Matthew Barton Ltd’s bi-annual auction of European & Asian Decorative Works of Art on Wednesday, November 22, 2017 at the collective of auctioneers based at 25 Blythe Road.

The sale which comprises just over 500 lots of Silver, Ceramics, Jewellery, Watches, Works of Art, and Objects of Vertu, from both Europe and Asia, has prices ranging from £50 through to £12000

Asian objects catalogued by specialist Arthur Millner are well represented. One of the earliest pieces in the sale is a monumental 10th Century Cham Stone Head of a Dvarapala from the Da Nang Region of Vietnam. The Hindu kingdom of Champa, which occupied most of the Southern half of modern Vietnam, reached its greatest power and prosperity between 8th-10th centuries before their territory was gradually reduced from the North by the Vietnamese. Little remains of the great riches of this civilisation, a great deal of which was lost in relatively recent times. Measuring 53cm, the head is estimated at £8,000-12,000.

From South India, a 15th/16th Century Bronze figure of a Tamil Saint (Nayanmar) dating from the Vijayanagar Period will be offered. The saint, which is expected to fetch £4,000-6,000, is depicted standing on a domed lotus base, his body flexed, his left hand on his waist, wearing a beaded necklace and crown. Also from India is a collection of 118 late 19th Century Postcards of India, comprising views of Bombay, Bangalore, Delhi, Calcutta etc. and pictures of various Indian characters, which carries an estimate of £100-150.

From Persia, a 13th/14th century Kashan lustre jug, with sides decorated with star shaped figural and arabesque panels in relief is estimated at £3,000-4,000, while a 19th century Qajar Lacquer Box, decorated with painted scenes is estimated at £2,000-3,000.

Two hexagonal Dome-of-the-Rock tiles, originating from Jerusalem and dating from the first half 16th century carry an estimate of £1,500-2,000.

Among the European Works of Art, a set of four French (Dieppe) ivory figures depicting the Four Seasons and attributed to the Workshop of JeanAntoine Belleteste, (1731-1811) is expected to fetch £2,500-3,500. Carved after Charles Le Brun (16191690) as Saturn representing Winter, Flora for Spring, Ceres for Summer and Bacchus for Autumn, each on a waisted ivory veneered plinth with ebonised top and base, these figures are based upon the set of four seasons which were part of Louis XIV's 'Grande Commande' for the park at Versailles. The Belleteste family were among the most renowned Dieppoise ivory carvers; as well as the workshop in Dieppe, they had premises in Paris. Supposedly a set of Jean-Antoine's seasons were in the cabinets of MarieAntoinette at Versailles and another set of seasons (as well as many other pieces) may be found at the Chateau-Musée de Dieppe. His son Louis-Charles-Vincent (1757-1819) was equally well known; his ivory model of an 88-gun ship given to Napoleon is held by the French National Maritime Museum. The grandson LouisCharles-Antoine (1787-1832) worked for the Duchesse de Berry.

The auction includes a good selection of table silver, including a number of full canteens. One set of 55 pieces of Victorian table silver by G.W. Adams for Chawner & Co. of London, dating from 1864/65/74 is expected to fetch £1,500-2,000. This particular set of table silver, along with some jewellery, which is also being offered in this sale, was placed in a safety deposit box on 20th December 1877 by James Ellis at the London County & Westminster Bank, 130 Whitechapel High Street, London, remaining there for 120 years until removed by a direct descendent in 1997.

Several pieces that are being offered by the Cinema and Television Benevolent Fund include one particular piece perfect for forthcoming New Year celebrations. An Early 20th Century silver two-handled cup in an early 18th century Irish style with harp-shaped handles, the bell-shaped body engraved with inscriptions and a list of Past Presidents of the Cinema Veterans (1903) below the legend 'WE'LL DRINK A CUP OF KINDNESS YET FOR THE DAYS OF AULD LANG SYNE'. The inscription reads: 'CINEMA VETERANS (1903) LOVING CUP Presented by Lieut. Colonel A.C. Bromhead, C.B.E. President 1933-4' and is expected to fetch £300-500.

An early 19th century French gold-mounted Tortoiseshell box and cover with a Miniature by Gerard Van Spaendonck (1746-1822) is one of several examples from The Hoffenreich Collection of Snuff Boxes included in the sale and estimated at £1,000-1,500.

Jewellery and Watches include a gentleman's eighteen carat gold Rolex, Oyster Perpetual DayDate bracelet watch, circa 1987, expected to fetch £6,000-8,000 (see right), while an eighteen-carat gold, turquoise and diamond demi-parure by Ben Rosenfeld, circa 1963 carries an estimate of £2,000-3,000. Ben Rosenfeld was designing from the 1950s to the 1970s. He was one of the few Hatton Garden-based Jewellers to attain a wider reputation. His gold jewellery often highlighted with turquoises or coloured stones and his animal brooches garnered an international clientele.

Elsewhere in the Auction is an Italian silver sugar vase and cover by Emanuele Caber, circa 1820 - the stem cast as three entwined Renaissance dolphins which carries an estimate of £2,000-3,000, while an Edwardian silver four-piece tea and coffee set by Fordham & Faulkner of Sheffield, engraved with initials and crest for Violet Manners, Duchess of Rutland (1856-1937) carries an estimate of £600-900, and an American silver globe inscribed: R.K. Davies to Malcolm Beranger, 1938. Ralph K. Davies (1897-1971) was a San Francisco oil millionaire and philanthropist whose widow paid for the San Francisco Symphony Hall. Malcolm Béranger was a French Standard Oil executive (est: £100-150).