SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. – Turner Auctions + Appraisals will present the Violet Taaffe Estate on Saturday, Aug. 8. Mrs. Taaffe, a long-time San Francisco resident, presided over a stately turn-of-the-century home that featured fine art, exquisite jewelry, Asian pieces and decorative items. This online auction offers over 270 lots, many with the provenance and pedigree of renowned artists and designers. The sale is augmented by a small number of items from another Bay Area estate. Bid absentee or live online through LiveAuctioneers.

Among the art are works by Granville Redmond (above), Armin Hansen, Arthur Best (below), Herman Wendelborg Hansen and William Mortensen.

Jewelry highlights include diamond and platinum rings, necklaces and bracelets. Other fine and costume jewelry feature bracelets, earrings, necklaces, rings and eternity rings, brooches, and pendants, with gold, sterling and blackened silver, diamonds, turquoise, coral, jade, tanzanite, amethyst, amber, opal, aquamarine, rubies and emeralds. Among the designers or fashion houses are pieces from Tiffany, Hermès, John Hardy, Jim Wagner, Max Chayat and Charles Garnier.

There are also a number of costume jewelry groupings. Items for men include pocket watches, wedding rings and cufflinks. A selection of handbags, satchels, evening purses and belts come from Louis Vuitton, Gucci, Jimmy Choo, Ferragamo and Céline. Among the clothing offerings are Giorgio Armani and designer dresses.

There are a number of intriguing decorative arts on offer, including a tortoise coffee table base and ostrich egg candlesticks by Anthony Redmile, small sculptures by Sergio Bustamente and Gucci, a pair of 18th–19th-century Chinese cloisonné censers, a 19th-century “nine-dragon” child’s robe, and a Tiffany Favrile glass vase.

Other items in the sale include 19th-century French clocks, a Lalique bowl, Royal Doulton figurines, numerous pieces of sterling or hallmark silver serving ware and tableware, and Izabel Lam flatware. Also from China, mostly from the 19th-century, are silver export teapots, blue-and-white teapots and jars, famille rose standing Immortals, and painted snuff boxes. From Japan are bronze sculptures and cloisonné cigarette boxes.

Violet Schoning Taaffe was a third-generation San Franciscan, the daughter of a business owner whose first lithography company was destroyed in the 1906 earthquake. She graduated from Stanford University in 1941 with a bachelor of arts degree and a psychology major. She received her master’s degree in psychology from the University of California, Berkeley in 1945, then became a social worker for the City and County of San Francisco. In 1947 she married Edward J. Taaffe, who became a longtime Chevron Corp. executive and a San Francisco attorney. At age 51, Mrs. Taaffe became a teacher in the San Francisco School District.

She was an active member and served on the board of many important community organizations, including the San Francisco Opera Guild, the Junior League of San Francisco, the Art Museum at University of California Irvine and the Newport Harbor Art Museum.  In 2020, Mrs. Taaffe passed away at age 99; she is survived by two children, five grandchildren and 16 great-grandchildren.

Here are some highlights of the upcoming sale (see details in the online catalog):

– Lot 35: Granville Redmond (1871-1935), ‘Poppies and Lupine,’ oil on canvas, signature: lower left, 9 by 12 inches. Medium: Estimate $15,000-$25,000.

– Lot 166: Vintage diamond and platinum bracelet set throughout with 132 old-mine, old-single and transitional-cut diamonds, weighing in total an estimated 9.0 carat, I-M/VS-Imp range; weighing approximately 22.8 grams, length: 6½ inches. Estimate $4,500-$6,500.

– Lot 94: Two late 19th–early 20th-century Chinese silver teapots and warming stands. Both teapots, one warmer and one stand are marked HC (Hung Chong). Teapots: 8 inches and 9 inches, weight: 2238 grams. Estimate $4,000-$6,000.

– Lot 25: Arthur Best (1859-1935), ‘Mountain Landscape, oil on canvas, signature: lower right. Size: 25 by 36 inches. Estimate $2,000-$4,000.

– Lot 84: A pair of 18th–19th century Chinese cloisonné censers on stands, 8½ by 7inches. Estimate $3,000-$5,000.

– Lot 167: Vintage diamond and platinum solitaire ring, centering an old European-cut diamond, measuring approximately 9.05 by 9.1 by 5.7mm, weighing an estimated 2.95 carats, K-L color/VS-SI clarity, accented by four round brilliant and baguette-cut diamonds weighing an estimated 0.14 carats, 4½ grams, size 7. Estimate $6,000-$8,000.

– Lot 27: William Mortensen (1897-1965), portfolio of 23 works: erotic and theatrical bromoil transfer prints, in overall good condition, 5¾ by 4½inches. Estimate $6,000-$8,000.

– Lot 39: Tiffany green Favrile glass vase, first-quarter 20th-century, with pulled feather decoration, approximately 17 inches in height. Estimate $800-$1,200.

– Lot 88: A 19th-century brown-ground “nine-dragon” child’s robe, elaborately decorated on both front and back in gold wire with a full-face, five-clawed dragon coiled around a flaming pearl, 33 inches in length. Condition: missing sleeves. Estimate $3,000-$5,000.

– Lot 5: Armin Hansen (1886-1957), Cosimo Aiello, Man of the Sea, etching, signature: lower right, 8 inches by 5 7/8 inches. Estimate $800-$1,200.

– Lot 162: Jadeite jade and 18K gold ring with an oval cabochon jadeite jade measuring approximately 17 x 13.2 x 7.35mm, 7.8 grams, size: 7. Estimate $1,000-$1,500.

– Lot 257: Louis Vuitton Artsy Hobo Mm canvas and leather tote, approximately 18 by 9½ x 12½ inches with later factory replaced handle. Estimate $800-$1,200.

Turner Auctions + Appraisals will begin its online auction on Saturday, Aug. 8, at 10:30 a.m. Pacific time.

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