Imperial bowl goes for record HK$74m at Sotheby's auction

A ruby-ground falangcai bowl sold for HK$74 million at a Sotheby's auction yesterday, setting a world record for porcelain made in the reign of Emperor Kangxi during the Qing dynasty (1644-1911).

Ceramics dealer William Chak Kin-man was very happy to win the bowl in a strongly contested auction which attracted more than 10 bids.

"Falangcai has the finest porcelain during the reign of Kangxi, Yongzheng and Qianlong. There are many falangcai … wares from the Kangxi period, but this one is more brightly coloured and the contrast and graduation [of the colours] is also very clear," he said. It was flawless, he added.

Nicolas Chow, Sotheby's Asia deputy chairman and international head of Chinese ceramics, said: "This bowl is part of the exquisite group of wares that was enamelled within the imperial workshops in Beijing for the personal use of the emperor.

"There were very few that came out on the market in recent years, and this is the only one that is in absolutely perfect condition," he said.