Rare Qing Dynasty bowl may top $34m at auction

PHOTO: AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE

An extremely rare Qing Dynasty bowl - one of only three known to exist - is expected to fetch US$25.6 million (S$34 million) and could even break the record for Chinese ceramics, auction house Sotheby's said yesterday. Measuring 14.7cm in diameter, the dainty pink bowl is decorated with falangcai (painted enamel combining Chinese and Western techniques) and includes illustrations of daffodils, which are not typically depicted on Chinese porcelain. Sotheby's Hong Kong expects the Qing Dynasty bowl, used by the Kangxi Emperor in the 1720s, to make history again at an April 3 auction. Last year, a 1,000-year-old bowl from China's Song Dynasty sold for US$37.7 million, setting a record for Chinese ceramics.

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on March 02, 2018, with the headline Rare Qing Dynasty bowl may top $34m at auction. Subscribe