BEIJING, Oct. 25 -- A Hong Kong art dealer paid a world record price of HK$115.48m (US$14.88m) for a rare Qing-Dynasty porcelain vase at auction Sunday.

   It was the highest price ever paid at auction in Asia for a work of art. The tiny vase dates from the Qianlong Emperor¡¯s reign, 1735-1796.

   The 210-year-old piece, measuring just 16.5cm in height, is decorated with a pair of pheasants on a flowering branch.

    Sotheby¡¯s auction house said there were only four similar vases in the world, rare examples of Qing-Dynasty porcelain.

    ¡°The price achieved is a vindication of the object¡¯s historical importance,¡± said Nicolas Chow, head of the Sotheby¡¯s Chinese Ceramics Department.

    ¡°In 30 years, only two other vases of this type have appeared at auction,¡± he added.

    The vase was sold to William Chak, a Hong Kong art dealer, after several minutes of intense bidding. Chak latter admitted that he was offering the bid for one of his customers from the mainland but refused to give further details.

(Source: Shenzhen Daily)