A Chinese vase believed to have been discovered during a routine clear-out at a bungalow in Pinner, northwest London, has sold at auction for a record £43m.Bainbridges Auctioneers in Ruislip, northwest London, had estimated the Qianlong-dynasty porcelain vase to fetch between £800,000 and £1.2m.
But the auction attracted many Chinese buyers keen to get their hands on a piece of their imperial past, and the bids went sky high.
The staggering price it fetched surpassed the expectations of the auctioneer and the owners - a brother and sister who had inherited it.
Helen Porter, of Bainbridges, said: "They had no idea what they had. They were hopeful but they didn't dare believe until the hammer went down.
"When it did, the sister had to go out of the room and have a breath of fresh air."
The 16-inch high masterpiece is believed to have fetched the highest price for any Chinese artwork sold at auction.
Bainbridges described it as one of the most important Chinese vases to go on sale this century.
A posting on the auctioneer's blog said: "It is a piece of exquisite beauty and a supreme example of the skill of the ceramicist and decorator.
"How it reached Ruislip is something we shall never know, and that it is in such fine condition is amazing."
The blog added: "It is a masterpiece. If only it could talk!"
The vase is decorated with a fish motif and has a yellow painted trumpet neck.
It has a double-walled construction, meaning an inner vase can be seen through the perforations of the main body.
Qianlong was the fourth emperor in the Qing dynasty and served from 1735 to 1796.
During that era the ceramics industry in China was known for the perfection of its porcelain and development of decorative techniques.
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