One of the world's finest private collections of Meissen, spanning the history of the famous porcelain factory from its earliest beginnings to the 1740s, is to be offered at a single- owner sale at Bonhams 101 New Bond Street London on Thursday 6 December.

Bonhams Head of European Ceramics Nette Megens said: "This wonderful private collection was put together over the course of 30 years, and is one of the finest and most comprehensive of its kind that I have ever seen. It traces the history of Meissen porcelain from the very start, and includes several rare, highly important, examples of landmarks in the developments of this most sophisticated and charming art-form."

The Meissen porcelain factory was founded by Augustus the Strong, the Elector of Saxony, in 1710 after the alchemist Johann Böttger had discovered how to make hard paste porcelain. Until then, all hard paste porcelain was imported at great expense from China, and there was immense pressure on Böttger to unearth the secrets of the coveted 'white gold,' as it was known.

In the early years, the Meissen factory produced a brown stoneware inspired by Chinese redwares in the Royal Collection. There are several examples of these pieces, known as Böttger stoneware, in the sale including a magnificent and very rare Meissen lacquered Böttger stoneware octagonal coffee pot and cover, from around 1711-13 with an estimate of £40,000-60,000.

The mastery of white hard-paste porcelain production in 1713 was the next technological breakthrough for Meissen. For the next few years, the wares were decorated away from the factory by master enamellers working mainly in gold and silver. A very rare pair of early Meissen beakers and saucers, circa 1717 illustrates this phase of Meissen's development. It carries an estimate of £20,000-30,000.

In 1720, Johann Gregorius Höroldt became the director of Meissen, and under his leadership enamelling was brought in-house, techniques were refined, and brilliant colours introduced. This enabled the repertoire to be expanded from chinoiserie decoration to European landscapes, as seen in the Meissen Augustus Rex turquoise-ground vase with hunting scenes, from about 1739-40 which has an estimate of £12,000-18,000.

Other highlights include:
A very rare Meissen figural clock case and stand, circa 1730, modelled by Gottlieb Kirchner. Estimate: £60,000-80,000.
A very rare pair of white Meissen porcelain leopards, circa 1740, modelled by Johann Joachim Kaendler. Estimate: £30,000-50,000.
A large Meissen octagonal dish, circa 1730-35, painted in Kakiemon style with the 'Shiba Onko' pattern. Estimate: £20,000-30,000.