£53 million Chinese vase smashes record
- November 14, 2010 22:19
A dusty antique vase sat on a wobbly bookshelf in a modest home outside of London since the 1930s, until it sold at Bainbridge's auction for an incredible £53 million on Nov. 11.
The 16-inch tall 1740 Qianlong dynasty vase with a fish motif is the most expensive piece of Chinese porcelain ever to come on to the market.
While the vase evidently came from an 18th century royal palace in Beijing, the rest of the provenance has been a puzzle.
The family who consigned it say an explorer uncle problably picked it up in China during the inter-war years of the 1920s and 1930s.
