The most expensive vase ever sold is an imperial Qianlong revolving vase that fetched $41.6 million (RMB 265.7 million) at Poly Auction in Beijing in June 2021. Our list ranks seven vases by what a buyer actually paid, drawn from auction results and a reported private sale, as of October 2026. Prices that were hammered but never paid are left out.
| Rank | Vase | Price (USD) | Sale date | Sold at |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Qianlong revolving vase | $41.6 million | June 2021 | Poly Auction, Beijing |
| 2 | Qianlong yellow-ground double-gourd vase | about $32.5 million | Oct 2010 | Sotheby’s, Hong Kong |
| 3 | Bainbridges Qianlong vase (resale) | reportedly $32 to 40 million | Jan 2013 | Private sale brokered by Bonhams |
| 4 | Yongle blue-and-white imperial vase | about $21.6 million | Oct 2011 | Sotheby’s, Hong Kong |
| 5 | Yongle blue-and-white meiping | about $10.1 million | May 2025 | Christie’s, Hong Kong |
| 6 | Yongzheng ‘nine dragons’ tianqiuping | about $9.6 million | May 2025 | Christie’s, Hong Kong |
| 7 | Qianlong dragon tianqiuping | $3.69 million | Mar 2025 | Bonhams, New York |
1. Qianlong revolving vase: $41.6 million
An imperial yangcai ruby-ground revolving vase from the Qianlong period (1736 to 1795), 24 3/4 inches tall, with carved openwork and a phoenix scene. It is built from four separately glazed and fired parts: an outer shell, an inner vase, a neck and a cover.
It sold at Poly Auction in Beijing on 7 June 2021 for RMB 265.7 million. Its history shows how fast the market moved: the same vase made $537,030 at a London sale in 1999. It beat the previous ceramic record, a $37.7 million Song dynasty brush washer sold in Hong Kong in 2017.
How we valued it: price realised with buyer’s premium as reported at the time, in US dollars.
2. Qianlong yellow-ground double-gourd vase: about $32.5 million
A famille-rose porcelain double-gourd vase with a yellow ground, sold at Sotheby’s Hong Kong on 7 October 2010 for HK$252.66 million. Two telephone bidders fought for roughly ten minutes before the hammer fell.
At the time it was a world record for Chinese porcelain.
How we valued it: auction result with premium, HK$252.66 million at about 7.77 HK$ to the dollar.
3. Bainbridges Qianlong vase, resold: reportedly $32 to 40 million
This 18th-century vase turned up in a house clearance in the London suburbs. In November 2010 a regional auction house hammered it at 43 million pounds, but the winning bidder declined to pay the premium of roughly 8.6 million pounds, so the sale failed.
In 2013 the vase was finally sold in a deal brokered by Bonhams, reportedly for between 20 million and 25 million pounds. The exact price was never disclosed, so we treat the figure as a reported range.
How we valued it: reported private-sale range converted at 2013 rates. We do not count the failed 2010 hammer price.
4. Yongle blue-and-white imperial vase: about $21.6 million
An early Ming imperial blue-and-white vase, sold at Sotheby’s Hong Kong on 5 October 2011 for HK$168.66 million after a bidding contest on the telephones that lasted about ten minutes.
It was the auction benchmark for Ming porcelain for years.
How we valued it: HK$168.66 million result with premium, converted at about 7.8.
5. Yongle blue-and-white meiping: about $10.1 million
A Yongle-period blue-and-white meiping painted with bamboo, rock and plantain. It sold at Christie’s Hong Kong on 2 May 2025 for HK$78.125 million, in a sale made up of only three vases from one North American collection.
How we valued it: HK$78.125 million with buyer’s premium, converted at about 7.8.
6. Yongzheng ‘nine dragons’ tianqiuping: about $9.6 million
A Yongzheng blue-and-white vase with nine dragons, sold in the same Christie’s sale on 2 May 2025 for HK$74.675 million against an estimate of HK$70 to 90 million. The three vases in the sale made HK$162.6 million together.
How we valued it: HK$74.675 million with buyer’s premium, converted at about 7.8.
7. Qianlong dragon tianqiuping: $3.69 million
A blue-and-white and copper-red vase, 55.2 cm tall, with a dragon-and-cloud design and a Qianlong six-character mark. Bonhams New York sold it on 17 March 2025 as lot 24. It was estimated at $400,000 to 600,000 and hammered at $3 million.
It is the lowest entry here, and the gap to number six shows how steep the top of this market is. We found no verified sale between about $3.7 million and $9.6 million that we could document as a vase.
How we valued it: $3,690,500 with buyer’s premium, from the sale result.
Records set in 2025 and 2026
Three vase results from 2025 belong on the list: the two Christie’s Hong Kong lots from 2 May and the Bonhams New York lot from 17 March. None beat the 2021 Beijing record, and we found no 2026 vase sale that did.
What drives these prices
- Imperial provenance. Vases made for an emperor’s court sell far above export ware.
- Attic finds. The Bainbridges vase was estimated at a fraction of its hammer price, and bidders chase that kind of surprise.
- Mainland demand. Chinese collectors dominate the top end in Beijing and Hong Kong.
- Completed sales only. A hammer price means little if the buyer walks away, so we count only what was paid.
- Rare glazes and forms. Copper-red, early blue-and-white and revolving vases are hard to make and rarely survive.
The habits that let people afford this
Short audio lessons on money, mindset and discipline, in the Alux app.
Get the Alux app →FAQ
What is the most expensive vase ever sold?
An imperial Qianlong revolving vase, sold at Poly Auction in Beijing in June 2021 for $41.6 million.
Why is the Bainbridges vase so famous?
It was a house-clearance find hammered at 43 million pounds in 2010. The buyer did not pay the premium, and it was resold in 2013 for a reported 20 to 25 million pounds.
What is the most expensive Ming vase?
A Yongle imperial blue-and-white vase at Sotheby’s Hong Kong in October 2011, which made HK$168.66 million, about $21.6 million.
What makes a Chinese vase worth millions?
Imperial provenance, rarity, condition and the quality of glaze and painting, plus strong demand from collectors in mainland China and Hong Kong.
Did any vase sell for more than $10 million in 2025?
Yes. A Yongle meiping reached about $10.1 million at Christie’s Hong Kong in May 2025, and a Yongzheng tianqiuping about $9.6 million in the same sale.
What is the cheapest vase on this list?
The Qianlong dragon tianqiuping from Bonhams New York in March 2025, at $3.69 million.
How we put this list together
We ranked vases by the price actually paid, using auction results and one reported private sale compiled in an internal valuation model. Currency conversions are approximate, and prices change as new sales appear.
Keep reading
Last updated: October 2026.
