A Chinese vase has smashed the record for the most expensive item sold in an Irish public auction¹.

 

一件中国花瓶打破了爱尔兰公开拍卖历史上出售的最贵物品纪录。
 

 

That's according to the Irish Times, who report that the vase was sold at Sheppard's Irish Auction House in June.

 

The piece is said to have been part of the collection of Emperor Qianlong (1735-1799) - but despite that, it had a guide price of just €1,200.

 

Indeed, the owner is reported to have told the auctioneer that he expected to fetch only €800 for it. In the end, it sold to a telephone bidder² in Paris for a whopping €740,000 - some 600 times the estimate.

 

We've reported extensively over the last few months in the rapidly growing interest amongst global buyers for Chinese pieces.

 

For example, one of our favorite stories came a year ago, when a Chinese vase that was hidden away for over three decades was sold for £650,000. 

 

Unaware³ of the true value of the vase, the owners from the West Midlands used the vase as a doorstop for 36 years.

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