Ancient Chinese vase fetches a record 51.6m pound sat auction

LONDON - An 18th century Chinese vase smashed a world record after fetching a whopping 51 million pounds in a provincial British auction house.

The 18th- century Chinese antique was discovered during a routine clear-out of a dusty attic in a three-bed semi-detached house on the outskirts of London.

The owners, a brother and sister, were so shocked that they had to be taken out of the auction room as frenzied bidding lasted half an hour.

The base price of the vase was kept at 800,000 pounds but it ended with the hammer coming down at 51,600,000 pounds, sold to an unknown Chinese purchaser.

The vase is from the Qianlong period, when the production of intricately designed china was at its peak, and the Emperor, who ruled from 1736 to 1795, was an avid connoisseur of art.

“In the 18th century it would have resided no doubt in the Chinese royal palace and was most certainly fired in the Imperial kilns. It is a piece of exquisite beauty. How it reached [London] is something we shall never know, and that it is in such fine condition is amazing. It is, quite simply, a masterpiece,” the Daily Mail quoted Helen Porter of Bainbridges, the auction house, as saying.

The reigning world record for Chinese porcelain is 20 million pounds, for a Qing dynasty vase in a Sotheby’s sale in Hong Kong last month, but this sale left has it far behind. (ANI)