NEW YORK - A spectacular Russian vase thought to have been included in the wedding dowry of a daughter of Czar Nicholas I, was undeniably the most coveted lot of Bonhams' $1.6 million Nov. 20 sale of European Furniture and Decorative Arts in New York City.

Created by the Imperial Porcelain Factory at St. Petersburg, the beautifully detailed 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 body is finely painted with luxurious floral garlands and is applied with elaborate gilt-bronze foliate mounts attributed to the Felix Chopin workshop.

A strikingly similar vase that was 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. This led to the speculation that the vase in Bonhams' sale was also created for one of the Czar's daughters. Carrying a pre-sale estimate of $150,000-$250,000, the vase more than doubled its top estimate, fetching a final total of $528,000.

Taking place at Bonhams' Madison Avenue showrooms, the nearly 250 lots auctioned consisted of fine European furniture, decorative arts, silver, rugs and carpets. The sale attracted a crowd of private collectors and members of the trade to the auction house's salesroom, competing with a bank of numerous international phone bidders.

Visit Bonhams online at www.bonhams.com.