The vase sold at 23 times of the estimated price An 18th-century Chinese porcelain vase that had been kept in the attic of a French family home was sold for €16.18 million at a Sotheby’s auction in Paris. The family had no idea how valuable the vase was when they brought it to the auction house wrapped in newspaper and placed inside an old shoebox. Experts later identified it as a rare piece made for the court of China's Qianlong Emperor.The vase had remained in the family for generations. According to Sotheby’s, it was among several Asian objects inherited from a relative who died in 1947. Although the family had preserved it, they did not particularly like its appearance. The owners reportedly considered it "too pink" and had left it in a box in the attic.Its value came to light when a woman contacted Sotheby’s Paris in March 2018. She had recently lost her husband and was preparing to move to the countryside. While clearing the house, she came across several objects of Asian origin and decided to ask whether they were worth examining.What followed was an unexpected discovery for the family. The vase, initially estimated at €700,000, eventually fetched €16,182,800 after a 20-minute bidding contest, setting a record at the time for Chinese porcelain sold at auction in France. From attic to Sotheby’s The woman first spoke to Olivier Valmier, an Asian art specialist at Sotheby’s Paris, over the telephone. She described several objects in her possession, including a dragon robe, a censer, a mirror kept inside a lacquer box and a porcelain vase decorated with animals.She could not send photographs of the objects. However, Valmier became interested when she mentioned that the censer had an invoice connected to the 1867 Universal Exhibition in Paris.He asked her to bring the objects to Sotheby’s for examination. Initially, she hesitated because of the distance involved and worried that the journey might waste his time. Eventually, she agreed to bring one item, and Valmier selected the vase.Despite delays caused by train strikes, the woman arrived at the Paris office carrying the vase wrapped in crumpled newspaper, placed inside an old shoebox and covered with a plastic bag.When Valmier and his colleagues examined it, they immediately recognised its exceptional quality. Even if it had been a late 19th- or early 20th-century copy, they believed it could have been worth around €100,000.Further examination confirmed that it was an authentic 18th-century imperial porcelain vase, produced by the Jingdezhen workshops for the Qianlong Emperor's court. It was also in perfect condition. Describing the discovery, Valmier said, “It was as if we had just discovered a Caravaggio.” The vase’s rare features The vase belonged to a rare category of Chinese porcelain known as Famille-Rose, or yangcai. These pieces are recognised for their detailed paintings, rich colours and complex production techniques.The vase, officially described as an Imperial 'Yangcai Crane and Deer Ruyi Vase', features a landscape painted around its body. The decoration includes nine fallow deer, five cranes, pine trees, rocky mountains and a waterfall. The vase, officially described as an Imperial 'Yangcai Crane and Deer Ruyi Vase', features a landscape painted around its body According to Sotheby’s, the deer, cranes and pine trees represent health and longevity in Chinese art. The landscape may also depict the vegetation of an imperial pleasure garden.Producing such porcelain required considerable skill and time. The detailed painting involved multiple layers of decoration, making these pieces particularly difficult to manufacture.Their rarity also contributed to their value. Sotheby’s explained that this type of porcelain was produced in extremely limited quantities, with most surviving examples now held in museums.Only one other vase of a comparable shape and design is known. That piece, which has different decorative details, belongs to the Musée Guimet in Paris. Connection with the Qianlong Emperor Sotheby’s specialists also examined historical imperial records to understand the vase's origins. They found that an 18th-century imperial inventory listed two pairs of vases with designs matching the newly discovered piece.One pair had been commissioned in 1765 for a Buddha Hall, a space used for the emperor's private worship. Another pair was ordered in 1769 as a birthday gift.Although the exact history of the French family's vase before 1947 could not be established, these records helped experts connect its design to porcelain commissioned for the imperial court.Family documents showed that the vase had belonged to an uncle who died in 1947. His possessions included several Chinese and Japanese objects. The collection later passed through the family to the owners who brought the vase to Sotheby’s.The family's interest in Asian art may have extended further back. Records showed that an ancestor had received a Japanese Satsuma censer as a wedding gift, purchased at the 1867 Universal Exhibition in Paris.Sotheby’s suggested that the vase might have been acquired in Paris during the late 19th century, when Chinese and Japanese artworks were becoming popular among collectors. Sale reaches 23 times the estimate The vase eventually went under the hammer at Sotheby’s Paris on June 12, 2018. Although its high estimate was €700,000, competition among bidders pushed the final price far beyond expectations.After approximately 20 minutes of bidding, the vase sold for €16,182,800, more than 23 times its high estimate. The sale established a new auction record in France for Chinese porcelain at the time.