An extremely rare 18th-century Chinese vase sold for 1,449,000 pounds ($2,569,000) in England after spending the last few years in a kitchen.
Bought for "a few hundred pounds" in the 1980s, the Qianlong-era piece went for 10 times its estimate of 100,000 to 150,000 pounds at Dreweatts Auctioneers in Berkshire.
The owner of the 60cm-tall piece, who inherited it from his father, had no idea of its value.
It was only when an antiques expert spotted it in the corner of the kitchen that its value was recognised.
"We are delighted with this exceptional result," Mark Newstead, consultant at Dreweatts, said.
"We saw widespread interest from China, Hong Kong, America and the UK, which resulted in very competitive bidding.
The auction house said the vase was an "extraordinary example" of porcelain from the reign of the Qianlong Emperor, between 1736 and 1795.
The vase features bats and cranes on its surface, symbolism associated with longevity and Daoism.
The six-character mark of the Qianlong period appears on its base.
Dreweatts said the vase featured "unusual" enamelling techniques of gold and silver on a cobalt blue base, which it said was "testament to the skills and creativity of craftsmen … to cater to the Emperor's taste for the innovative and exotic".
The Tianquping-style vase — meaning heavenly globe vase — would likely have been prominently displayed in the halls of the Qing palace.
It added that there were no other documented examples of a vase featuring this pattern in gold and silver.
