Joseph Lau proudly paid $16.7 million for this pair of Cloissonné cranes that have sat in an English home for 150 years. The Wall Street Journal explains why the work ticks all the boxes of provenance, Imperial connection and quality easily justifying the price.

Indeed, Bloomberg reports that the action in Hong Kong during Christie’s sale of Chinese Works of Art was heated:

“There are some very aggressive bids out there,” said Johnny Chong, 50, a Hong Kong-based collector who paid HK$1.2 million for a Qing dynasty imperial edict with a HK$60,000 presale top estimate on behalf of a mainland collector. “Prices are mostly at the high end of expectations. But if you see something you really want, you just have to bite the bullet.” […] Yesterday’s other highlights included a pink-enameled blue and white moonflask from the Qianlong period that sold for HK$123.9 million, while a yellow-ground famille rose vase from the Jiaqing period (1796-1820) fetched HK$90.3 million. Both items went for more than three times their top estimates.

$16.7 Million for a Pair of Cranes (Scene Asia/Wall Street Journal)

Billionaire Lau’s $16.7 Million Birds Lift Christie’s to Hong Kong Record (Bloomberg)