Bonhams is to hold a New York sale of European furniture, decorative arts, silver, rugs and carpets, on November 20th. The auction features property from several prominent private collections and estates, highlighted by several extraordinary pieces in a variety of categories.

Highlights include:

A monumental Russian gilt-bronze-mounted porcelain vase created by the Imperial Porcelain Factory at St. Petersburg is perhaps the most striking and fascinating item in the sale. The superbly-modeled urn resided in a Dutch family collection since the 1920s and was only recently rediscovered and identified by Bonhams specialists on the West Coast, where the family now resides. The urn, dating from the period of Nicholas I, was most likely made for the dowry of one of the daughters of the Czar; a strikingly similar vase commissioned for the dowry of Grand Duchess Aleksandra (1825-1844) for her wedding to Prince Fredrich Wilhelm of Hessel-Kassel is now in the museum collection at Schloss Fasanerie, Eichenzell. The ovoid body is finely painted with luxurious floral garlands and is applied with elaborate gilt-bronze foliate mounts attributed to the Felix Chopin workshop. Standing 32-inches high, this masterful work is estimated at $150/250,000.

The illustrated auction catalog will be online for review and purchase at www.bonhams.com/us. Previews open at Bonhams NY on November 15th - continuing daily until the auction.

For more information on sales and events at Bonhams New York, visit: www.bonhams.com/newyork.

Posted: 11|16|08 at 11:00 am. Filed under: US News.