Qing dynasty vase sells for record $33M

A Hong Kong-based collector has paid $251 million HK ($32.9 million Cdn) for a Qing Dynasty vase, setting a record for a Chinese work of art at auction.

The yellow-ground famille-rose double-gourd vase was sold Thursday at Sotheby's Asia art auction at the Hong Kong Convention Centre.

Buyer Alice Cheng, who works in the telecom and oil industry, said the vase is for her personal collection.

Sotheby's has seen strong prices throughout a week of art auctions in Hong Kong.

Earlier this week, it saw strong demand for contemporary Asian art and set a record for sale of a contemporary work in Asia — roughly $4.18 million Cdn for a Marc Chagall painting.

Thursday's sale of Qing Dynasty ceramics and Chinese works also saw strong demand and brought in about $150 million Cdn.

Renewed interest in their own history by mainland Chinese buyers seems to have propelled sales, said Nicolas Chow, deputy chairman of Sotheby's and an expert in Chinese art.

He said there is a limited supply of ceramics from the Qing Dynasty, which stretched from 1644 to 1912, leading to greater demand.

Another vase from the same collection sold for the equivalent of $18 million Cdn, and an imperial white-jade seal from the Qianlong period, in the 18th century, went for about $16.2 million Cdn, a world record for white jade.