London – Pieces from the Rosa Alba collection of 18th Century Meissen Porcelain Part I were among the top selling lots at Bonhams 500 Years of European Ceramics sale in London on Tuesday 6 July. They included a rare Meissen lilac-ground Augustus Rex vase and cover 1730 that sold for £169,000 (£30,000-50,000); an Augustus Rex vase and cover circa 1730, sold for £125,250 (£40,000-60,000), and a Meissen circular stand circa 1726 once owned by William IV of England which sold for £22,750 (£20,000-30,000). In total, the 289-lot sale made £1,400,000.

Bonhams Head of Continental Ceramics, Nette Megens, said: "This sale was notable for offering pieces from six exceptional private collections of European ceramics. The high quality of the pieces attracted an increase of 20% in registrations for the sale, a number of museum and institutional buyers and, encouragingly, several completely new buyers. All the best-known manufactories were well-represented, but the sale was particularly strong in Meissen and Sèvres. There were some very rare pieces including two wonderful Augustus Rex vases with covers that attracted spirited and competitive bidding and sold well over their estimates."
Other highlights included:

• 12 Sèvres plates from the Service du Dessert Marly Rouge made for the Emperor Napoleon in 1809 and delivered to the Palace of Fontainebleau. Sold for £112,750 (£100,000-150,000).
• A pair of Sèvres blue-ground vases, circa 1772, from the collection of Sir Walter Farquhar. Sold for £17,750 (£15,000-20,000).
• A set of 20 Sèvres hard-paste dessert plates from the Service fond bleu figures en brun from around 1808 from an international private collection. Sold for £44,000 (£40,000-50,000).
• From the same collection a Sèvres double-handled blue-ground tray sold for £25,500 (£10,000-12,000).
• A pair of Meissen 'Limoges enamel' style crater vases, circa 1860. Sold for £69,000 (£20,000-30,000).
• A pair of Meissen large groups of Amphitrite's triumphal procession and Neptune and Thetis, late 19th century from a Swiss Private collection of 19th and 20th century Porcelain. Sold for £44,000 (£10,000-15,000).