Gold Ming Dynasty Bowl Fetches Record $15 Million in Hong Kong

HONG KONG—At today’s Sotheby’s auction of gold and precious-metal objects, a gold Ming Dynasty (1368–1644) bowl sold for HK$116.8 million (US$15 million), a record for a Chinese metal artifact, reports Bloomberg. The bowl, set with rubies, sapphires, turquoise, and pearls, almost doubled its pre-sale estimate of HK$60 million.

Today is the last day of Sotheby’s four-day artifact, jewelry, and art sale, which is expected to raise a total of $1.3 billion. Record-setting sales of Chinese artworks have prompted both Sotheby’s and Christie’s to direct more Chinese work into the Hong Kong market, the world’s third largest after New York and London.