A rare Chinese vase has sold for £1.5 million after being spotted in a kitchen.
A rare Chinese vase has sold for £1.5 million after being spotted in a kitchen
The ornament is decorated with cranes and bats and was created for the court of the Qianlong Emperor during the 1700s.
The vase passed from the original owner - who purchased it for a few hundred pounds in the 1980s - to his son who had placed it in his kitchen.
The precious value of the ornament was discovered when a visiting antiques specialist noticed it.
Dreweatts Auctioneers had estimated its value at between £100,000 and £150,000 but the piece fetched £1.2 million on Wednesday (18.05.22), with a buyer's premium bringing the price up to £1.5 million.
Mark Newstead, from the auction house, said: "We are delighted with this exceptional result. We saw widespread interest from China, Hong Kong, America and the UK which resulted in very competitive bidding."