A 600-year-old blue and white bowl from the Ming Dynasty, sold for 229 million Hong Kong dollars (29.5 million US dollars) at a Sotheby's auction on Wednesday in Hong Kong, is set to be exhibited in Shanghai in late April.
Screenshot from Sotheby's Auction House
The “fish pond” bowl, previously part of a Japanese collection, had never appeared at auction before. It was purchased by an Asian private collector. It exemplifies the skill of porcelain craftsmen in the Ming Dynasty (1368 AD - 1645 AD), especially the Xuande Emperor Zhu Zhanji, who reigned from 1425 AD to 1435 AD.
“The Xuande lobed bowl, intricately painted in the most brilliant tones of under-glaze blue with a design of fish swimming in a pond, and preserved in extraordinary condition, is arguably the greatest example of early Ming blue and white porcelain in private hands,” stated an overview by Sotheby’s.
Screenshot from Sotheby's Auction House
The auction fee was the second-highest price paid for Ming-dynasty Chinese porcelain at auction and about twice the pre-sale estimate.
The record for a Ming porcelain piece is held by the Chenghua “chicken cup”, which was bought by Chinese billionaire and collector Liu Yiqian for 281.2 million Hong Kong dollars (36.2 million US dollars) in 2014.
Screenshot from Sotheby's Auction House
The “fish pond” bowl will be on loan from its current Asian owner to the Long Museum in Shanghai, founded by Liu and his wife, Wang Wei. It is scheduled to go on display on April 28.
