A Jaipur diamond-set enamelled gold Dish, Goblet and Spoon. India, 19th Century. Photo Bonhams

comprising a goblet with handle and cover, a saucer and spoon, decorated in polychrome enamel on a white ground, the goblet with roundels alternately with parakeets and peacocks, the base handle and lid set with rose-cut diamonds; the saucer with a central recessed roundel with stylised floral motifs, surrounded by a frieze of roundels with combatant animals alternating with flowers and birds on a white ground with flowers, birds and animals, the sides with a trailing floral vine with birds; the spoon gem-set and decorated ensuite; the saucer 14.4 cm. diam.; total weight 311g.(4). Estimate: £40,000 - 60,000, € 48,000 - 72,000

Provenance: Acquired by the vendor's Swiss grandfather, Gustave Droz, when he moved to India in the late 19th Century to manage the East Asian headquarters of the family watchmaking business, Alcide Ddroz & Fils (manufacturers of the workd's first waterproof watch), in Bombay.

Similar animal decoration can be seen on an epaulette attributed to Rajesthan, probably Jaipur, in the Khalili Collection (Pedro Moura Carvalho, Gems and Jewels of Mughal India, London, 2010, p. 225, no. 120). Two cup and saucer sets with similar animal depictions have appeared at auction in recent years (Christies, Islamic Art, Indian Miniatures, Rugs and Carpets, 21st October 1993, lot 350; and Bonhams, Islamic and Indian Art, 4th October 2011, lot 284).

 Bonhams. Islamic and Indian Art, 24 Apr 2012. London, New Bond Street http://www.bonhams.com