An 18th-century bowl made from one of the world's rarest porcelains has sold for $25 million at Sotheby's in Hong Kong. It is a stunning example of Falangcai porcelain, which is now considered one of the rarest and most valuable materials of the Qing Dynasty.
The bowl, which measures less than 10 cm in diameter, was produced in imperial kilns during the time of Emperor Yongzheng, who ruled China from 1722 to 1735, and was later enamelled in the workshops of the Forbidden City in Beijing. It is a striking example of Falangcai (“foreign colors”) porcelain, now considered one of the rarest and most valuable materials of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911).
The creamy-white bowl depicts intertwined apricots and willows and a pair of swallows. Inscribed on a wall is a poem believed to have been commissioned by the Wanli Emperor, whose reign - from 1573 to 1620 - preceded the Yongzheng dynasty. “Jade scissors cut the flowers / Like rainbow garments brought from the moon,” he says.
The object was once part of a pair, split and sold for £150 each in 1929, according to CNN. The other dish lives in the British Museum.
The piece was consigned this time to Hong Kong art collector and philanthropist Alice Cheng, who bought it at a Christie's auction in 2006 for ($19 million) - a record price for Chinese art.