"Masterpiece" Chinese teapot discovered by accident sells ...

A Chinese teapot described as &#;an Imperial masterpiece&#; has sold for £1 million in the U.K, after it was discovered by accident during a routine valuation.

Bense supply professional and honest service.

Auctioneers at Duke&#;s in Dorset were stunned when the pot fetched 1,000 times its original estimate in front of a cheering crowd.

The tiny pear shaped pot measured just 13 cm high, with a peach and pip form on the lid, and was finished in a delicate green celadon glaze.

Experts believe it was made for the Qianlong Emperor, who ruled China from until , and was renowned for his love of ceramics.

During his reign the Imperial kilns produced some of China&#;s finest porcelain treasures, and today these rare royal pieces are highly sought-after by collectors.

In recent years rare Qianlong porcelain items have been found in unlikely places, having been removed from China during the 19th century and passed down through families unaware of their true nature.

The Celadon glaze pear-shaped Qianlong teapot, sold at Duke&#;s in Dorset for £1 million (Image: Duke&#;s)

The owner of the pot had no idea of its Imperial heritage, and it was discovered by accident during a routine valuation visit in Dorset.

&#;As the owner handed me the wine pot for an opinion my heart missed a beat,&#; said Lee Young, Head of Asian Art at Duke&#;s.

&#;As I turned it over and saw the beautifully drawn blue seal mark of Qianlong I realised immediately that I was handling a piece made for the Emperor himself.&#;

According to the auction house, the techniques used to make the pot and its outstanding quality meant it was comparable to other similar pieces from the Forbidden City and the Summer Palace in Beijing.

The Qianlong mark, and the exceptional quality of the pot, marked it out as a piece intended for the Emperor himself (Image: Duke&#;s)

The pot was initially given a pre-sale estimate of £1,000 &#; £2,000, but it soon became clear that it might be more exceptional than previously imagined.

When Duke&#;s exhibited the piece in London during Asian Art Week, the show attracted hundreds of collectors and dealers from China, Hong Kong, Japan, Taiwan and Europe.

And when it crossed the block on November 11, it sparked a fierce and lengthy bidding war between no less than 10 bidders.

The price began leaping up in £20,000 increments, and at one point jumped up a massive £100,000, as one bidder tried to scare off the competition.

When the hammer finally came down the pot had achieved an incredible £800,000, with additional fees bringing the final price to just over £1 million ($1.28 million).

The pot set a new record as the most valuable item ever sold in Duke&#;s history, and helped the auction house to a record single-sale total of more than £3 million.  

Contact us to discuss your requirements of Glass Teapot Manufacturers in China. Our experienced sales team can help you identify the options that best suit your needs.

Following the sale Guy Schwinge, a partner at Duke&#;s, paid tribute to the expert who originally uncovered the pot.

&#;Lee has an exceptional eye for quality and this result underlines his knack for making discoveries and delivering exceptional results for our clients&#;.

A 600-year-old Chinese teapot made for a Ming Dynasty Emperor has sold for £11million.

The nine-inch imperial blue and white ewer was made for Yongle Emperor Zhu Di during his reign between and .

It sparked a bidding war between a and online buyer at auction house Sotheby's Hong Kong and sold for £9.3million rising to £11million with fees.

The pot, decorated with a 'five-clawed dragon', was made for Zhu Di's 'personal use' and is the most valuable ewer ever sold at auction. It is one of the most 'important pieces' from the period as it was made by China's 'imperial kilns' and was used in Beijing's imperial palace, according to Sotheby's.

The nine-inch imperial blue and white ewer was made for Yongle Emperor Zhu Di during his reign between and and has sold for £11million in Hong Kong

The porcelain pot, decorated with a 'five-clawed dragon', was made for Zhu Di's 'personal use' and is the most valuable ewer ever sold at auction

A Sotheby's Hong Kong spokesman said: 'This superb blue and white ewer is absolutely unique and ranks among the most important pieces of blue and white from this seminal period in the history of Imperial porcelain, as it was made not just by the Imperial kilns, but for the personal use of the Emperor.

'The five-clawed dragon design is the most potent symbol of Imperial power, well-known from the following reign of Emperor Xuande and standardised throughout the rest of the Ming and Qing dynasties.

'But it appears for the first time during the Yongle period and this elegant ewer is among the very few examples known to be decorated with the blue-print of this important design.'

Nicholas Chow, specialist at Sotheby's Hong Kong, added: 'This is one of the most iconic imperial porcelains that we have sold in the last 50 years.

It is one of the most 'important pieces' from the period as it was made by China's 'imperial kilns' and was used in Beijing's imperial palace, according to Sotheby's

'This superb ewer decorated with a five-clawed dragon, a masterpiece of blue and white porcelain, was produced for the personal use of the Yongle Emperor during the very pinnacle of the Ming dynasty.

'The ewer graced the cover of the T.Y. Chao auction in , itself one of the most celebrated collections of Chinese art ever to have been presented at Sotheby's, and has not been seen on the market for almost 40 years.'

Zhu Di was the third Emperor of the Ming dynasty, reigning from to .

Want more information on Buy personalised glass storage jars? Feel free to contact us.