House clearance vase betters antiques valuation to go for £43m
The item had been valued at £1.2 million.
A Chinese vase found in a London house clearance has bettered its antiques valuation to sell for £43 million.
The sum, which reached more than £50 million after VAT and commission was added on, is thought to be a record for the item, which had previously attracted a price guide of £1.2 million.
Helen Porter of Bainbridges said the family had no idea about the piece they had, adding that the sister of the family had to go out of the room for a "breath of fresh air" when the final figure was revealed.
She observed: "They were hopeful but they didn't dare believe until the hammer went down."
The piece - which is decorated with a fish motif - was described by the auctioneers as a piece of "exquisite beauty".
This comes after a Chinese jar exceeded its antiques valuation by more than six times to sell for £2.6 million at a Sotheby's auction.
Posted by Lisa Marriott