HONG KONG: An extremely rare Qing Dynasty bowl, made for the Chinese emperor Kangxi in the early 18th century sold within five minutes for US$30.4 million at an auction Tuesday, Sotheby’s said
The rare bowl, just less than six inches (14.7 cm) in diameter is decorated with falangcai — painted enamels combining Chinese and Western techniques — and flowers, including daffodils which are not typically depicted on Chinese porcelain.
Sotheby’s Asia Chairman Nicolas Chow revealed that the buyer was an unnamed phone bidder from the “Greater China” region. He remarked, “This is the absolute finest example to exist. There are only three examples altogether that use this beautiful pink (background),” Chow said.
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 new techniques and materials.
Hong Kong’s auction houses have seen frenzied bidding among Asian buyers in recent years, with sales of diamonds, handbags and ancient ceramics shattering world records.
Last year a 1,000-year-old bowl from China’s Song Dynasty sold for US$37.7 million, a record for Chinese ceramics.