An 18th-century Chinese imperial seal sold for a record 21 million euros ($22 million).
The seal which was at the center of a heated battle between both bidders on the telephone and at the auction house, sold for more than 20 times the estimated price. It was purchased by an anonymous Chinese collector in France’s Drouot auction house Decorated with stylized dragons, the symbol of imperial authority, the extremely rare stamp in red and beige nephrite jade comes from the Qianlong period (1736-1795).
18th Century Chinese Imperial Seal
On the reverse the seal included an inscription written in an ancient script saying, “Treasure of the imperial brush of Qianlong.”
The previous record for a seal had been set in 2011 when one was bought for 161 million yuan ($23.3 million).
18th Century Chinese Imperial Seal
