Ancient Chinese ceramic bowl sold at record price in HK

A Chinese ceramic bowl dating from the 18th century was sold for 151 million Hong Kong dollars ( 19.42 million U.S. dollars) at an auction in Hong Kong on Tuesday, breaking the world record price for Qing dynasty ceramics.

The famille rose bowl, from the court of Emperor Qianlong, who reigned from 1736 to 1795, was sold for 151,320,000 Hong Kong dollars. It is also the most expensive work of art ever sold in any Asian auction, Christie's auction house said.

The delicate famille rose bowl, with a swallows design, fetched double its expected sale price of 60-80 million Hong Kong dollars (7.7-10.3 million U.S. dollars). Famille rose refers to the kind of glaze used to coat the bowl. The finely potted bowl is enameled to the exterior in two shades of pink, yellow, green brown and black with graceful swallows in flight beside a flowering apricot tree.

The bowl sold Tuesday is part of a pair. The other half is kept at the Percival David Foundation in London, which stood for that the bowl sold is the only existing example in private hands, Christie's said.

The previous auction record for Qing ceramics was set by a pheasant vase, sold at 115.48 million Hong Kong dollars (14.85 million U.S. dollars) at a Sotheby's auction in October 2005.

The bowl was sold by Chinese collector Robert Chang to Alice Cheng, a Hong Kong collector, Christie's said.

On another auction also hold on Tuesday by Christie's, a white jade libation cup of the Qianlong period in Qing dynasty, was sold for 11,320,000 Hong Kong dollars (1.45 million U.S. dollars), setting a new world auction record for a white jade cup.

The cup sold is known as the only one of this form represented in jade. It exemplifying the highest level of expertise achieved by Imperial lapidaries of the 18th century.

Source: Xinhua