China's imperial relics seal sets record auction price at Sotheby's HK

This photo taken on April 22, 2021 shows the Imperial White Jade Seal used by Emperor Qianlong (1736-1796) of the Qing Dynasty. (Photo: China News Service/Zhang Wei)

This seal fetched $145,691,000 Hong Kong dollars (about $18 million) in the special section of "Chinese Works of Art" at 2021 Sotheby's Hong Kong Spring Auction on Thursday.

On the side of the jade seal, there carved an imperial prose named Jientang, or the Hall of Jien, a part of the emporor's palace where Qianlong first met his grandfater, Empeor Kangxi, in the Old Summer Palace (known as Yuanmingyuan).

This seal is still intact despite of some scars of burning which is believed the result of fire damage in 1860 when French and British forces sacked the palace.

This photo taken on April 22, 2021 shows the Imperial White Jade Seal used by Emperor Qianlong (1736-1796) of the Qing Dynasty. (Photo: China News Service/Zhang Wei)

This seal fetched $145,691,000 Hong Kong dollars (about $18 million) in the special section of "Chinese Works of Art" at 2021 Sotheby's Hong Kong Spring Auction on Thursday.

On the side of the jade seal, there carved an imperial prose named Jientang, or the Hall of Jien, a part of the emporor's palace where Qianlong first met his grandfater, Empeor Kangxi, in the Old Summer Palace (known as Yuanmingyuan).

This seal is still intact despite of some scars of burning which is believed the result of fire damage in 1860 when French and British forces sacked the palace.

This photo taken on April 22, 2021 shows jade seals at at 2021 Sotheby's Hong Kong Spring Auction. (Photo: China News Service/Zhang Wei)

The Imperial White Jade Seal used by Emperor Qianlong (1736-1796) of the Qing Dynasty (1644 to 1912) fetched HK$145,691,000 (about $18 million) in the special section of "Chinese Works of Art" at 2021 Sotheby's Hong Kong Spring Auction on Thursday.

On the side of the jade seal, there carved an imperial prose named Jientang, or the Hall of Jien, a part of the emporor's palace where Qianlong first met his grandfater, Empeor Kangxi, in the Old Summer Palace (known as Yuanmingyuan)

This seal is still intact despite of some scars of burning which is believed the result of fire damage in 1860 when French and British forces sacked the palace.

This photo taken on April 22, 2021 shows jade seals at at 2021 Sotheby's Hong Kong Spring Auction. (Photo: China News Service/Zhang Wei)

The Imperial White Jade Seal used by Emperor Qianlong (1736-1796) of the Qing Dynasty (1644 to 1912) fetched HK$145,691,000 (about $18 million) in the special section of "Chinese Works of Art" at 2021 Sotheby's Hong Kong Spring Auction on Thursday.

On the side of the jade seal, there carved an imperial prose named Jientang, or the Hall of Jien, a part of the emporor's palace where Qianlong first met his grandfater, Empeor Kangxi, in the Old Summer Palace (known as Yuanmingyuan)

This seal is still intact despite of some scars of burning which is believed the result of fire damage in 1860 when French and British forces sacked the palace.