282 ASPREY, LONDON established 1781 The Streetcar Named Desire Jewel Case stamped Asprey, London crocodile skin, gold-velvet, brass and canvas the lid gilt-tooled ‘V. L. O. / 12th October 1949’, with a velvet lined interior and lift-out fitted tray, fitted with brass locks signed ‘Bramah / 11 Old Bond Street W.I / Joseph Bramah’, including a protective canvas cover 11 by 31.5 by 24cm., 4¼ by 12¼ by 9½in. Made circa 1949. 282 detail of top showing gilt-tooling PROVENANCE Probably a gift to Vivien Leigh on the 12 October 1949, the opening night of A Streetcar Named Desire at the Aldwych Theatre, London. This was directed by Laurence Olivier, whom was possibly the giver of this present. The performance starred Bonar Colleano, Renee Asherson with Vivien Leigh in the title role of Blanche DuBois. The presentation of this jewel case on the opening night of the theatrical production of Tennessee Williams’ play A Streetcar Named Desire could well be a subtle reference to Blanche DuBois, the central character. In the play Blanche arrives at her sister, Stella’s, in New Orleans, with a large quantity of luggage. These suitcases and trunks are important props as they represent the trappings of a former more youthful life, a happier period with Blanche as a glamorous Southern belle. Ⴚ£ 800-1,200 € 900-1,350 US$ 1,100-1,600 282 283 VIVIEN’S POWDER COMPACT enamel, glass the exterior applied with stripes of blue enamel, the hinged lid opening to reveal a mirror and powder compartment. approximately 75 by 56 by 27mm £ 1,500-2,000 € 1,700-2,250 US$ 2,000-2,650 283 284 THREE COMMEMORATIVE COINS, ISLE OF MAN 1965 set of three gold coins, Isle of Man, Bicentenary of the Revestment Act 1965, including five-pounds, a Sovereign and a half Sovereign, uncased, gross weight approximately 53 grams; together with a half-crown from the Republic of Ireland, dated 1959. (4) diameters approximately 36mm, 22mm, 19mm and 32mm respectively 284 Part £ 1,500-1,800 Vivien’s jewel case (lot 282) € 1,700-2,050 US$ 2,000-2,400 showing jewellery from pp. 180-197. 178 SOTHEBY’S 285 THREE BROOCHES enamel, turquoise, seed pearls comprising: a brooch designed as a swallow, set with seed pearls; a brooch collet set with three turquoise cabochons in a trefoil arrangement; 285 and a brooch set with a rectangular blue enamel plaque bordered with seed pearls. (3) lengths approximately 31mm, 35mm and 23mm £ 150-250 € 200-300 US$ 200-350 286 MOURNING BROOCH mid 19th century enamel, seed pearls, diamonds of oval form, centring on a giardinetto set with rose diamonds on a ground of blue enamel within a surround of seed pearls, to a Rococo-style scrolled border, the reverse inscribed In Memory of John Wise Obt 30 May 1844, later brooch fitting. approximately 21 x 36mm 287 £ 100-150 € 150-200 US$ 150-200 287 BROOCH 1920s rubies, diamonds of bar design, centred on a horseshoe set with calibré-cut rubies and collet-set to one end with a circular-cut diamond. 286 length approximately 53mm 289 enlarged £ 400-600 € 450-700 US$ 550-800 289 288 THE CHRYSOBERYL DEMI- TWO BROOCHES A photograph by Grey Villet from December 1962 PARURE shows Vivien wearing the brooch from this parure comprising: a brooch designed as a riding crop; whilst rehearsing with Jean Pierre Aumont for the 18th century and another brooch designed as a polo mallet Broadway musical play Tovarich (1963), which with a horseshoe. brooch with Portuguese assay mark earned Leigh a Tony Award for Best Actress in lengths approximately 68mm and 53mm chrysoberyl a Musical (The LIFE Picture Collection; Getty Images). She also appears in numerous press comprising: a devant-de-corsage designed as PROVENANCE photographs of the period wearing the earrings a bow suspending a detachable pendant, set Possibly Ernest Hartley which were often favoured for evening wear throughout with foil-backed circular-cut, cushion- by her, most famously, on the occasion of the For Vivien, the equestrian theme of these and pear-shaped chrysoberyls; and a pair of re-premiere of Gone With the Wind in Atlanta in brooches would have likely held connotations of earrings of similar design, pendants detachable, 1961. her family and her childhood in India. Her father screw fittings. Ernest was an avid polo player and a fan of horse (6) racing, and took up a post training horses in devant-de-corsage approximately 64 x 87mm, Bangalore during the First World War. earrings approximately 47mm each £ 150-200 £ 4,000-6,000 € 200-250 US$ 200-300 € 4,500-6,800 US$ 5,300-8,000 288 illustrations not to scale 180 SOTHEBY’S 181 290 291 292 290 291 292 AMETHYST RING RING amethyst emerald early 19th century 295 the step-cut amethyst weighing 3.25 carats, later of crossover design, set with two cabochon seed pearls, ruby ring mount provided by Sotheby’s. emeralds. set with four half-seed pearls arranged in a size N size N quatrefoil design, the centre set with a cabochon £ 300-500 £ 150-200 ruby, to acanthus scroll shoulders and an € 350-600 US$ 400-700 € 200-250 US$ 200-300 engraved shank. size N £ 80-120 € 100-150 US$ 150-200 294 293 THE SHIP OF FOOLS BRACELET 1960s simulant pearls, paste composed of three rows of simulant pearls spaced with colourless paste, the clasp set with a green paste simulating an emerald within a frame 294 295 of additional colourless paste stones. VIVIEN’S NATURAL PEARL VIVIEN’S NATURAL PEARL length approximately 17mm AND DIAMOND NECKLACE AND DIAMOND EARRINGS Vivien wore this bracelet in many of the key scenes in Ship of Fools (1965). Her last natural pearls, diamond natural pearls, diamonds on-screen performance as the glamorous but designed as a graduated line of pearls measuring each set with a bouton pearl measuring troubled divorcée Mary Treadwell was met with from approximately 2.5 to 5.8mm, the clasp approximately 11.7 x 11.9 x 9.8mm and 12.8 x 13.3 considerable acclaim, both from her co-stars and collet-set with a circular-cut diamond. x 10.9mm respectively, within a frame of brilliant- from critics, who awarded her with the Étoile de 293 length approximately 450mm cut diamonds, screw fittings. Cristal for Best Foreign Actress. (2) accompanied by a gemmological report each diameter approximately 17mm £ 100-150 € 150-200 US$ 150-200 £ 800-1,200 accompanied by a gemmological report. € 900-1,350 US$ 1,100-1,600 £ 7,000-9,000 € 7,900-10,100 US$ 9,300-11,900 illustrations not to scale illustrations not to scale 182 SOTHEBY’S 183 296 enlarged 296 VIVIEN’S ENAMEL AND DIAMOND In the 1948 Notley Abbey Inventory (The Vivien Leigh Archive, FOB WATCH Victoria & Albert Museum, London THM/433/6/1) there is a vitrine cabinet (lot 55) and a collection of thirteen watches mid 19th century listed, many are gem-set and enamel and most are antique diamonds, enamel (op. cit, p. 18-20). The present watch may have formed a part of this group, which shows Vivien was a collector of fine, the brooch designed as a bow, suspending a navette-shaped jewelled watches. The collection was diminished, possibly as a pendant housing a watch with a white enamelled dial, Arabic result of two burglaries and a further infamous incident in the numeral indicators and blued steel hands, beneath a circular April of 1960. Joan Fontaine and Vivien swapped apartments in aperture, on a blue enamelled ground, set throughout with London and New York and the actresses tenure in each others rose diamonds, the reverse partially inscribed Tournés les home did not end well. Joan Fontaine was to write, (No Bed of Eguilles... à droit. Roses, New York, 1978) ‘It seems she had an étagère filled with length approximately 52mm valuable watches that Laurence Olivier had given her. When I arrived at Eaton Square, I had had the housekeeper put away PROVENANCE anything of value. I never saw the watches, but now they were Possibly a gift from Laurence Olivier missing ... Despite the fact that I never received a report from £ 5,000-7,000 the F.B.I., or from Vivien, as to whether they were found or not, € 5,600-7,900 US$ 6,700-9,300 a New York columnist printed that I had stolen the valuable timepieces’. Perhaps the present lot is a survivor from this incident. Vivien Leigh in “Anna Karenina”, 1947 by Cecil Beaton © The Cecil Beaton Studio Archive at Sotheby’s 185 297 NECKLACE simulant pearls, paste designed as two graduated rows of simulant pearls, the clasp set with a cluster of colourless paste stones. length approximately 345mm £ 50-80 € 100-100 US$ 100-150 298 298 PAIR OF EARRINGS paste collet-set with heart-shaped cabochons of green paste, post fittings. (2) length approximately 19mm £ 40-60 € 50-100 US$ 100-100 292 297 299 HARDSTONE BROOCH AND 301 BRACELET chalcedony, jasper, lapis lazuli, hardstone 302 comprising: a curb-link bracelet suspending eight hardstone drops including chalcedony and jasper; 301 303 and a brooch suspending three similar drops, one NECKLACE BROOCH of lapis lazuli. bracelet length approximately 195mm, brooch cultured pearls, marcasite 1960s approximately 29 x 20mm designed as a single graduated line of cultured British hallmark for 1964 pearls, the clasp set with faceted marcasites, £ 70-90 cultured pearls several marcasites deficient. € 100-150 US$ 100-150 designed as a branch, set with cultured pearls, length approximately 520mm maker’s mark.