An extremely rare Qing Dynasty bowl — one of only three known to exist — is expected to fetch $25.6 million (₹167 crore) and could even break the record for Chinese ceramics, auction house Sotheby’s said on Thursday.
Measuring 14.7 cm in diametre, the dainty pink bowl is decorated with falangcai (painted enamels combining Chinese and Western techniques) and flowers, including daffodils which are not typically depicted on Chinese porcelain.
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.
Sotheby’s Hong Kong expects the Qing Dynasty bowl, used by the Kangxi Emperor in the 1720s, to make history again in an upcoming sale on April 3.