Chinese demand for the far-flung works of art of the nation’s imperial past has driven buyers to remote sales around the world. Patricia Kluge’s $14m country house sale beat the $9m estimate with a little help from Chinese bidding, according to the AP:

An ornate Qing Dynasty Chinese table clock sold for nearly $3.8 million at auction at the country estate of socialite and vintner Patricia Kluge, and bidders worldwide also paid top prices for paintings, furniture and other pieces in the collection.

The clock, one of the top showcase pieces of Sotheby’s event at Albemarle House in Charlottesville, sold Tuesday for a price more than triple the $1 million estimated top value after a heated telephone bidding session. A Chinese collector jumped in with an offer of $1.2 million for the nearly 200-year-old gilt-brass-and-enamel timepiece, then cast the winning bid of $3.78 million several minutes later.

$3.8m Chinese Clock Tops Sotheby’s Auction (AP)