These Rare Qianlong Treasures Could Fetch HK$215 Million at Auction at Sotheby’s

The legendary Chinese monarch’s prized possessions are going under the hammer this April.

Just before the private, guarded wooden doors open, as suited security stand beside three Qianlong relics that are safely kept a metre behind a roped, cordoned-off area, we’re informed in hushed tones that China’s most powerful emperor’s treasures are within vicinity.

Even the estimated cost of these artefacts is staggering. And yet—we were told at an intimate press preview at Sotheby’s Hong Kong dotted with curators and connoisseurs—just three or four years ago, each piece would have expected to fetch over HK$100 million each. Now, three for HK$215 million seems like a bargain. An imperial white jade “Qianlong Yubi” seal with a twin-dragon knob carved in the early Qing dynasty (estimated at HK$70 million to HK$90 million), a rare imperial album featuring a portrait of the Qianlong Emperor by Jesuit artist Giuseppe Castiglione (HK$50 million to HK$70 million), and a glazed “dragon” moon flask with striking chiaroscuro effect (HK$35 million to HK$55 million) are up for grabs.

Read the entire feature online here at Robb Report Hong Kong. 

All pics by me on my Huawei phone.