The 165-lot sale, regarded by several observers as one of the best collections of Meissen
tablewares to go under the hammer for some time, drew a large crowd of Continental and English dealers and collectors to the King Street rooms, and along with the telephones they competed keenly for the best items on offer.
The auctioneers followed this with a mixed-owner Continental auction of the same size in the afternoon which again saw keen bidding for the best pieces. Together these two sales netted just over £1.3m.
A peach at £78,000
The oriental inspiration of this 51/2in (13cm) high Meissen teapot of c.1728 extends not only to its finely painted figural decoration by J G Horoldt but also to its peach-shaped form. At £78,000 it made the highest price in a single-owner collection of Meissen porcelain held at Christie’s on July 8.
