Chinese teapot made especially for Ming Dynasty ruler 600 years ago sells for £11million
The Emperor’s New Toes! Chinese teapot specially made for the ruler of the Ming dynasty 600 years ago sells for £11 million after a bidding war between buyers at an auction house
- The nine-inch jug was made for Yongle Emperor Zhu Di between 1402 and 1424
- It is the most valuable jug ever sold at auction in Hong Kong for £11 million
A 600-year-old Chinese jar made for a Ming dynasty emperor has sold for millions of pounds.
The nine-inch Imperial Blue and White Jug was made for Yongle Emperor Zhu Di during his reign between 1402 and 1424 and has sold for £11 million in Hong Kong.
It sparked a bidding war between a telephone and online buyer at auction house Sotheby’s Hong Kong and sold for £9.3m, rising to £11m with fees.
The porcelain jug, decorated with a ‘five-clawed dragon’, was made for Zhu Di’s ‘personal use’ and is the most valuable jug ever sold at auction.
According to Sotheby’s, it is one of the “most important pieces” of the period as it was made by the “Imperial Furnaces” of China and used in Beijing’s Imperial Palace.
The nine-inch Imperial Blue and White Jug was made for Yongle Emperor Zhu Di during his reign between 1402 and 1424 and has sold for £11 million in Hong Kong
The porcelain jug, decorated with a ‘five-clawed dragon’, was made for Zhu Di’s ‘personal use’ and is the most valuable jug ever sold at auction
A spokesman for Sotheby’s Hong Kong said: “This stunning blue and white jug is absolutely unique and is one of the most important pieces of blue and white from this seminal period in the history of Imperial porcelain, as it was not only made by the Imperial kilns, but for the emperor’s personal use.
“The five-clawed dragon design is the most powerful symbol of imperial power, known from Emperor Xuande’s next reign and standardized in the rest of the Ming and Qing dynasties.
“But it first appears during the Yongle period, and this elegant jug is one of the few examples known to have been decorated with the blueprint of this important design.”
Nicholas Chow, specialist at Sotheby’s Hong Kong, added: ‘This is one of the most iconic Imperial porcelains we’ve sold in the last 50 years.
A masterpiece of blue and white porcelain, this exquisite jug decorated with a five-clawed dragon was made for the personal use of the Yongle Emperor during the height of the Ming dynasty.
“The jug graced the cover of the 1987 TY Chao auction, itself one of the most celebrated collections of Chinese art ever presented at Sotheby’s, and has not been seen on the market for nearly 40 years.”
Zhu Di was the third emperor of the Ming dynasty and reigned from 1402 to 1424.
According to Sotheby’s, it is one of the “most important pieces” of the period as it was made by the “Imperial Furnaces” of China and used in Beijing’s Imperial Palace.