Record sale of Chinese vase ‘no one liked’
An 18th-century Chinese vase forgotten for decades in a shoebox in a French attic sold for à16.2million (about R254million) at Sotheby’s in Paris — more than 30 times the estimate.
Experts said the porcelain vessel was made for Qing dynasty Emperor Qianlong and had set a guide price of a much more modest à500 000. “We didn’t like the vase too much, and my grandparents didn’t like it either,” said the owner.