Emperor Qianlong’s (1711-1799) seal made £2,708,000 at Bonhams in London on November 11. It was sold to a Chinese buyer from Beijing after competitive bidding from three people in the room. The perfect four centimetre square jade seal bearing the inscription `Zi Qiang Bu Xi’, (‘Self-Strengthening Never Ceases’) is closely linked to the Emperor’s 80th birthday celebration which coincided with the 55th year of his reign.
Meantime a bidding war by Asian buyers resulted in a Qianlong vase (on right) making a record £51.6 million pounds at west London auction rooms Bainbridges on November 11. It was discovered in an attic during a routine house clearance in the London suburb of Pinner. The vase was estimated at £800,000-£1.2 million.