A ruby ground famille rose vase thought to be Qianlong mark and period has sold for £520,000.
The vase was sold by Hannam’s in Selborne, Hampshire, and had been estimated at £15,000 to £20,000. The vase broke the auction house’s record by selling for £520,000.
The vase measured 12 inches tall and suffered minor damage. Seven telephone lines were booked in advance. The vase had a Qianlong (1735-96) mark and the auction house deemed it ‘probably of the period’.
The vase came with a jade Buddha, and the story goes that the jade Buddha and the vase was used to pay of a debt for a demolition job in the 1980s.