16-century Chinese vase earns UK siblings £51.6m

Nov 13, 2010 |

London, Nov. 12: An 18th-century Chinese vase discovered in the clearance of a modest London house fetched a staggering £43 million, an auction record for Chinese art.

On top of the initial price, the purchaser will also have to pay 20 per cent fees, bringing the grand total to an eye-watering £51.6 million. The 16-inch Qianlong porcelain vase is understood to have been bought by a private buyer from China in the sale on Thursday at a small London auction house. The item has made the brother and sister who inherited the vase following its discovery in their parents’ north London suburban home instant multi-millionaires.

Ms Helen Porter, of Bainbridges auctioneers, said: “They had no idea what they had. They were hopeful but they didn’t dare believe until the hammer went down.

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