Sale of ‘loot’ from palace irks Chinese
A RARE teapot thought to have been looted from an emperor’s palace has gone under the hammer – causing a stir in China.
The 3,000-year-old relic, found gathering dust with a Kent family, fetched £410,000, twice its estimate. It is said to be one of six in existence.
But Chinese heritage officials “condemned” its sale, claiming it is an “illegally discharged cultural relic”. The teapot is believed to have been snatched by British troops in Beijing in 1860 at the end of the Second Opium War.
Canterbury Auction Galleries said: “We are confident the owner had good title, we have satisfied due diligence and have every right to sell it.”