The well-preserved vase dates from the 18th century, originally made for a Qing dynasty emperor.
An 18th century Chinese vase found in a shoebox in an attic in France sold for 16.2 million euros ($19 million) at auction in Paris on Tuesday.
The price was more than 20 times the estimate of 500,000 euros to 700,000 euros auctioneers Sotheby’s had put on the item. It was the highest price reached for a single item sold by Sotheby’s in France.
The vase spent some of its life stashed in an attic with other items that formed part of an inheritance. A French family retrieved the vase and brought it to the auctioneer.
“This person (the seller) took the train, then the metro and walked on foot through the doors of Sotheby’s and into my office with the vase in a shoebox protected by newspaper,” Sotheby’s Asian arts expert Olivier Valmier told Reuters.
