Qing Dynasty bowl sells for record $19.42M

Last Updated: Tuesday, November 28, 2006 | 3:21 PM ET

CBC Arts

A Chinese ceramic bowl from the 18th century sold for $19.42 million US at an auction in Hong Kong on Tuesday, breaking the world record price for Qing Dynasty ceramics, Christie's auction house said.

The famille rose Guyuexuan  bowl bears the seal of the Qianlong Emperor, who reigned from 1736 to 1795.

It is the most expensive work of art ever sold in an Asian auction, Christie's said.

Measuring 11.3 centimetres in diameter, the bowl is thought to be part of a pair. The other part is in the Percival David Foundation collection in London, according to Christie's.

The previous auction record for Qing ceramics was set by a pheasant vase, which fetched $14.85 million at a Sotheby's auction in October 2005.

The Guyuexuan (a style characterized by detailed enamel designs) bowl was sold Tuesday by 80-year-old Chinese collector Robert Chang to Hong Kong collector Alice Cheng, Christie's said. It once belonged to the American collection of Woolworth's heiress Barbara Hutton.

"I have gained great satisfaction and enjoyment from collecting these ceramics," Chang said before the auction, which included several other items from his private cache. 

"It is now the appropriate time for me to pass on these pieces to other collectors who will appreciate them as much as I have."