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  • £51 MILLION CHINESE VASE SELLS AT LAST FOR £20-25 MILLION

    The Qing-dynasty vase features a pierced “reticulated” body painted in a pastel-colored famille rose palette.

    The £51.6 million Chinese vase saga has come to a conclusion after it was sold for less than half this price in a deal brokered by Bonhams. The 18th century Qianlong vase made more than fifty times its estimate at an auction by Bainbridges in Ruislip, London in November of 2010. The bid, from an agent in the room, was made on behalf of a Beijing collector. The money was never paid. It is understood that Bainbridges received an interim fee, though they have not made any public comment, citing a confidentiality clause.
    The vase was found during a routine house clearance in the London suburb of Pinner. Retired solicitor Tony Johnson and his mother Gene, who waited two years for a resolution, have now sold it to another buyer. The price, which was undisclosed, is said to be between £20-25 million. Dealers believe the new owner is an Asian collector.
    A spokesman for the auction house said: “Bonhams is pleased to confirm the sale of the vase for an undisclosed sum, in a private treaty deal.”

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