Vase

Country: Ukraine

Manufactory: Korosten

Date of establishment: 1970s

Height (cm): 110 

Porcelain Story

In continuation of the stories about the most expensive porcelain works, I will give you, my friends, another vivid example.

The vase, which dates back to the reign of Emperor Qianlong (mid-18th century), was bought at a London auction for a fantastic amount of $86 million. To date, this is the highest price ever offered for a piece of ancient Chinese art.

It's hard to believe, but a 41-centimeter piece of porcelain was discovered by accident in the attic of an old London house. After examining the find, the experts determined that the vase was made more than two hundred years ago by the court craftsmen of Emperor Qianlong. The find was immediately called unique. If only because it favorably stood out among similar items of the same period, first of all, with a very intricate painting and excellent condition. The sale was carried out by auctioneers from Bainbridges. The initial price of the lot was named at $1.2 million. The product was purchased by an anonymous buyer from Beijing, who paid $86 million for the vase, which was 70 times its original cost.

Before this incident, the most expensive piece of Chinese classical art was a manuscript written by the famous ancient Chinese poet Huang Tingjian. Almost $66 million was paid for it in 2010. And among the imperial vases, the first place previously belonged to a porcelain vase of the same XVIII century, sold at the Hong Kong Sotheby's auction for $32.5 million.

The world of porcelain art is full of secrets and surprises. Including, of course, pleasant ones. So no one has the right to forbid to dream about something the same. And why, in fact, not?

The time will come - and for such Korosten vases as this one, Western (or domestic) collectors will offer crazy money. But who will sell them such a vase? It's basically priceless. After all, it is as if a particle of the soul of the Ukrainian people is stored in it.