Very Rare Qing Dynasty Bowl Could Fetch USD 26.5 Million

From diamonds and handbags to ancient ceramics, Sotheby’s Hong Kong auction houses have seen some of it most exquisite items sold at record-breaking prices among Asian buyers at auctions in recent years.

This extremely rare bowl used by the Kangxi Emperor in the 1720s, could fetch a shattering price of approximately USD25.6 million at Sotheby’s when it goes on auction in Hong Kong on April 3.

“It could even surpass the record for Chinese ceramics, auction house Sotheby’s said.

Measuring at 14.7 cm in diameter, the dainty pink bowl is decorated with falangcai (painted enamels combining Chinese and Western techniques) and flowers, including daffodils which are not typically depicted on Chinese porcelain.

“Definitely we will see the most important collectors of Chinese porcelain active,” deputy chairman for Sotheby’s Asia Nicolas Chow said in a preview Thursday.

“We will see quite a battle this season,” Chow added.

The bowl was created in an imperial workshop within Beijing’s Forbidden City by a small team of craftsmen, with the help of Jesuits from Europe who had brought over new techniques and materials, according to Sotheby’s.

Last year, a 1,000-year-old bowl from China’s Song Dynasty sold for US$37.7 million, setting a record for Chinese ceramics.

That sale surpassed the previous record of $36.05 million set in 2014 for a Ming Dynasty wine cup which was snapped up by a Shanghai tycoon famous for making eye-watering bids.

(Source: AFP)