Tiny Bowl Breaks Record: 1000-year-old Chinese porcelain bowl creates new record in auction

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A Chinese porcelain bowl has broken the world auction record for Chinese ceramics. It sold for nearly 40 million U.S. Dollars at a Sotheby's sale in Hong Kong.

It might look small, but this Chinese bowl is a giant in the world of ceramics. It was made 1000 years ago during the Song dynasty - and on Tuesday it sold for 37.7 million U.S. Dollars in Hong Kong.

Nicolas Chow from the Sotheby's auction house, which sold the bowl, says ceramics of this quality rarely come along, but this is actually their second in five years.

NICOLAS CHOW SOTHEBY'S "Last time there was one of kind of similar quality was 1991 and then 2012 and since then the market being broader, that has really brought this one to the market. And we are extraordinarily privileged to have the honor of handling two in such a short period of time."

The small, blue-green artwork broke the previous record of 36.05 million U.S. Dollars, set in 2014 for a Ming Dynasty wine cup.

The 13-cm bowl, designed to wash brushes, was the court ware of the late Northern Song dynasty (960-1127). Formerly in the collection of the Chang Foundation at the Taipei Hongxi Museum, the bowl is one of only four known pieces in private hands.

SAM SHUM, SENIOR SPECIALIST CHINA & SOUTHEAST ASIA, SOTHEBY'S "We are very honored and delighted to sell the Le Cong Tang Collection at this good price."

The bowl was sold to an anonymous buyer after a 20-minute bidding battle, but many people turned up to see it and bid for it before it went to its new home.