Most Expensive Vases in the World

The most expensive vase in the world is worth almost $50 million.

Most Expensive Vases in the World

Chinese Famille-Rose Butterfly Double-Gourd Vase Pair

The world's most expensive privately owned vases originally come from China. They are all imperial porcelains, made by royal potteries for the court of an emperor. Most pieces date back to the 18th-century Qing Dynasty, as the three Qing emperors were avid collectors of antique ceramics and commissioned many historic pottery styles and glazes to be recreated for them.

These ceramics are generally sold by private collectors, with some pieces having been sold multiple times through prestigious auction houses. Most buyers tend to be wealthy Chinese moguls who are proud of their heritage and want to bring imperial porcelains back to China. Museums, particularly in China and Taiwan, hold most of the best ceramics, so when one comes onto the open market, bidding is fierce. Ceramic prices have soared in recent years, and they show no sign of slowing down.

Here are the most expensive vases in the world, ranked by auction price in current U.S. dollars.

29. Chinese Qing Ge Ware Celadon Vase

Sale year: 2011

Sale price: $921,577

Price today: $1.16 million

This 18th-century Qing dynasty vase has a pale greenish-gray crackled glaze and was made to imitate 12th-century Song Dynasty Ge Ware ceramics. The three Qing Dynasty emperors were avid collectors of antique ceramics, particularly those of the Song Period, and ordered copies of the earlier Ge Ware style made for their own court use. The vase has a round, squat shape with mock handle rings that use animal masks and a narrow, short neck. Sotheby’s Hong Kong had previously sold the same vase in 1981 and 1986, before selling it again in 2011.

28. Chinese Yongzheng Blue and Red Lotus Vase

Sale year: 2019

Sale price: $1.98 million

Price today: $2.2 million

This blue and red vase was made in the royal potteries for the Yongzheng Emperor during the 18th-century Quin Dynasty. The emperor's short six-year reign was a period of great artistic revival and innovation in ceramics. The blue and red lotus vase was made in the style of 15th-century ceramics. A middle-aged English woman had owned the piece for 20 years when she decided to sell it. She drove to nearby auctioneers Smith & Son in Hampshire and walked in with the vase under her arm. The auction house estimated the sale price at £600; however, six-figure offers were being made before the auction even began, and the final selling price was £1.6 million.

27. Chinese Snowflake Blue Yongzheng Vase

Sale year: 2013

Sale price: $2.73 million

Price today: $3.32 million

This extremely rare 18th-century Snowflake Blue Yongzheng Vase was made as imperial porcelain again during the reign of the Yongzheng Emperor. The Yongzheng Emperor commissioned his potteries to recreate ceramics with 15th-century Ming Dynasty glazes, using antiques from the court’s collection as models. One of the more unusual and rare glazes was this light-blue celadon speckled with dark cobalt-blue tones. This slender oval vase has an elegant neck that rises to a flared mouth with a rounded rim. The potter wanted to give the impression of snowfall on a dark, cold, winter night. Sotheby’s Hong Kong sold the vase at auction in 1997 and then again in 2013.

26. Chinese Famille-Rose Hundred Boys Vase

Sale year: 2014

Sale price: $3.79 million

Price today: $4.54 million

The 18th-century Famille-Rose Hundred Boys Vase shows a painted scene of Chinese boys celebrating the Spring Festival in palace gardens by a lake. The children perform a dragon dance, play with musical instruments, carry lanterns, light firecrackers, ride toy horses and more. Boys were a popular subject in artwork of the Ming and Qing dynasties, as they represented parents’ wishes for sons. The neck and base of the vase consist of Famille-Rose enamel work, in light blue, yellow and pink. The vase was originally owned by a private museum in Japan, which sold the piece at Sotheby’s Hong Kong in 2002 to a private collector. Christie’s Hong Kong auctioned the ceramic again to private collectors in 2004 and in 2014.

25. Chinese Famille-Rose Baluster Vase

Sale year: 2014

Sale price: $4.49 million

Price today: $5.38 million

Here's yet another extremely rare white vase that dates to the 18th-century Quin Dynasty and the Yongzheng Emperor. The front of the vase bears a circular enameled image of a man. He is Fuxi, the mythical ancestor of mankind, who is said to have invented fishing, cooking, writing and domesticating animals. Fuxi has a robe with a collar made of leaves and carries a double gourd, a symbol of fertility and longevity, at his belt. The vase was held in several private collections, selling at Sotheby's London in 1946 and 1953, and Sotheby’s Hong Kong in 2007. Christie’s Hong Kong sold the vase again in 1993 and 2014.

24. Chinese Robin’s Egg and Gilt Archaistic Vase

Sale year: 2012

Sale price: $4.56 million

Price today: $5.63 million

The rare and unusual robin’s egg and gilt vase dates to the 18th century when royal potteries produced this imperial porcelain for the court of the Qianlong Emperor. During the Qianlong era, many historic styles and glazes were reintroduced. The vase has an underbase of a robin's egg blue glaze with gilt overlay and handles and features stylized dragons and bats. Royal potters were imitating archaic bronzes, with a green patina of age, from the Shang and Zhou periods of the first and second millennia B.C. Since the early 1820s, the vase was owned by a series of English collectors. Christie's London sold the piece in 1971, and Sotheby’s Hong Kong sold it again in 2012.

23. Chinese Green and Yellow Yongzheng Vase

Sale year: 2013

Sale price: $4.8 million

Price today: $5.85 million

This rare green and yellow vase was made in the royal potteries for the Yongzheng Emperor. The hand-painted vase depicts eight bats flying among clouds and stylized flowers. The owners inherited the piece from a family member who bought it in New York in 1961. A Christie’s expert was evaluating other artworks at their Chelsea property when he spotted the vase and determined it was imperial porcelain. Christie’s later auctioned the piece in London, England.

22. Pair of Chinese Archaistic Celadon and Gilt Vases

Sale year: 2010

Sale price: $4.74 million

Price today: $6.17 million

This rare pair of celadon and gilt vases date to the 18th century when royal potteries produced this imperial porcelain for the court of the Qianlong Emperor. The vase has an underbase of celadon glaze with gilt overlay and imperial lion gilt handles, and it features stylized dragons and clouds. The ceramics were previously in the J.M. Hu private collection before being sold at Sotheby’s Hong Kong in 1993, Christie’s Hong Kong in 1996 and Sotheby’s Hong Kong again in 2010.

21. Chinese Blue and White Dragon and Phoenix Vase

Sale year: 2017

Sale price: $5.7 million

Price today: $6.6 million

This very rare blue and white vase dates back to the Qianlong Emperor's reign. The two wider sides of the vase depict an imperial dragon hand painted in cobalt blue, while the two shorter sides show a phoenix. The dragon was considered an imperial symbol and widely used in decoration during this period, while the phoenix, also a popular emblem, was considered the king of birds. The vase was part of the Matsuyama Collection, and Sotheby’s Hong Kong sold it in 2017.

20. Chinese Blue and White Eight Immortals Vase

Sale year: 2016

Sale price: $5.7 million

Price today: $6.73 million

This vase's white porcelain pottery is hand painted in cobalt blue with highly stylized dragon handles. The ceramic depicts the Eight Taoist Immortals, mythic celestial figures who allegedly knew all of nature’s secrets, standing on stylized clouds. The immortals were popular subjects in Chinese art, literature and folk tales. They were usually shown on bowls and dishes but rarely on a vase. Art experts believe the imperial potteries made this ceramic in 1769 for the Dowager Empress’ birthday. Sotheby’s Hong Kong sold the vase in 1980 and again in 2016.

19. Chinese Turquoise Bajixiang Imitation Cloisonne Vase

Sale year: 2010

Sale price: $5.49 million

Price today: $7.14 million

The body of the vase is hand-painted with stylized flowers and the bajixiang, or Eight Auspicious Symbols of Buddhism, and features red and gilt handles. The Qianlong Emperor was fond of cloisonne, and he revived the metal and enamel craft on a wide scale. From the early 1820s, the vase was owned by a series of English collectors. Christie's London sold the piece in 1971, and Sotheby’s Hong Kong sold it again in 2010.

18. Chinese Ruby Ground Yangcai Vase

Sale year: 2018

Sale price: $6.44 million

Price today: $7.27 million

This ruby-colored Qing vase was produced by the imperial kilns for the Qianlong Emperor's court. The outside of the vase depicts four large lotus blossoms along with highly stylized flowers and leaves. Museum collections hold nearly all known ruby-ground Yangcai ceramics, so they are rarely sold on the open market. The pair to this vase is in the collection of the Palace Museum in Beijing. Christie’s sold this vase in 1993 to an art dealer, and Sotheby’s sold it most recently in 2018 to a private collector.

17. Chinese Copper-Red Dragon Lingzhi Double Gourd Vase

Sale year: 2010

Sale price: $5.79 million

Price today: $7.53 million

As we've mentioned, the Qianlong era reintroduced many historic styles and glazes, including this imitation of an earlier Ming Dynasty style. This type of reddish pottery is very rare since the glaze production was very challenging. Potters used copper to achieve the reddish hue and had great difficulty controlling the firing process. The design shows nine stylized imperial dragons climbing on lingzhi fungus. The double gourd design denoted fertility, and the fungus symbolized abundance and longevity. Sotheby’s Hong Kong sold the vase in 2010.

16. Chinese Yellow Famille-Rose Anbaxian Sgraffiato Vase

Sale year: 2015

Sale price: $6.6 million

Price today: $7.9 million

This large oval ceramic showcases the Famille-Rose pastel colorway and has a highly stylized "floral on brocade" design with painted fish chimes. The piece has a long neck and flared mouth with orange and gold dragon-shaped handles. Art experts believe the piece was made for a special occasion, perhaps a royal birthday. Italian Orientalist painter, Alberto Pasini, purchased the vase during his travels in the 19th century. The Scopinich Galleries in Milan, Italy, sold it in 1929 to a private Italian collector. Sotheby’s Hong Kong sold the ceramic in 2015.

15. Chinese Yellow Ground Yangcai Vase

Sale year: 2014

Sale price: $7.3 million

Price today: $8.75 million

This pear-shaped ceramic produced for the court of the Qianlong Emperor tapers to a narrower neck and flared top. The vase is painted with highly stylized flowers and features enameling around the neck, mouth and base. A woman bought the vase at a yard sale in Florida in 2002, thinking it was a 20th-century replica. Art experts evaluated the vase as genuine in 2009, and the owner later sold it through Brunk’s Auctions for $1.2 million. Sotheby’s Hong Kong sold the vase again in 2014 for $7.3 million.

14. Chinese Wanshou Blue and White Vase

Sale year: 2013

Sale price: $8.3 million

Price today: $10.1 million

This large and extremely rare blue and white Wanshou, or 10,000-character, vase dates to the Kangxi Period (1662-1722). Art experts believe the imperial porcelain was made for the Jiajing Emperor of this period who was obsessed with the idea of immortality. The white pottery has 999 characters for longevity and one character meaning 10,000 painted on the body, neck and base in cobalt blue. It conveyed wishes for a life without end and was possibly a birthday gift to the emperor or Dowager Empress. The previous owner was an unknown American collector, who bought the vase in the 1950s. Christie’s sold the piece at auction in 2013.

13. The Harry Garner Reticulated Vase

Sale year: 2020

Sale price: $9.75 million

Price today: $10.69 million

The Harry Garner Reticulated Vase was produced by royal potters for the Qianlong Emperor. Only a few of these intricate, double-walled vases were made, as the design was technically challenging. The vase consists of a blue and white core surrounded by a celadon-green ceramic lattice, ornate enamel work and gold accents. In the 1950s, Sir Harry Garner, a major collector of Chinese art, owned this vase before Sotheby’s sold it in 1954. The current owner inherited the vase and stored it for decades in her house in central Europe. She hired a Dutch art consultant, Johan Bosch van Rosenthal, to value her art, and he immediately recognized the vase as being extremely valuable. Sotheby’s Hong Kong sold it in 2020.

12. Chinese Robin’s Egg and Famille-Rose Revolving Vase

Sale year: 2011

Sale price: $8.95 million

Price today: $11.29 million

This extremely rare revolving robin’s egg blue and Famille-Rose vase was made by the royal potteries for Qianlong Emperor who loved mechanical toys and decorations. The body of the vase has a speckled turquoise and purple glaze, while the neck and base are ruby porcelain painted with stylized flowers and accented with turquoise and gold enamel. The neck bears a pair of cream elephant-head handles. The robin’s egg coloring was a recreation of an older Song Dynasty glaze. The entire piece was made in three parts and fitted together so that the body of the vase turns on its base using a mechanical mechanism. Sotheby’s auctioned the vase in 2001. Both the seller and buyer are unknown.

11. Chinese Yongzheng Blue and White Garlic Mouth Vase

Sale year: 2014

Sale price: $9.8 million

Price today: $11.74 million

This vase has a white background with highly stylized floral designs and ornamental patterns as well as a short neck and bulbous mouth. The only other known ceramic of this type is in the Palace Museum in Beijing. Bonham’s Auction House sourced the vase in the eastern United States and expected the sale to reach about $765,000. However, the rare ceramic attracted a bidding war, and the final sale price was 12 times the estimate. Bonham’s Hong Kong sold the vase to a private Chinese collector.

10. Chinese Copper Red Ming Dynasty Vase

Sale year: 2006

Sale price: $10.13 million

Price today: $14.26 million

This rare copper-red vase dates to the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). As previously mentioned, few ceramics with this glaze remain, and most are damaged. This piece was the first perfect example to be auctioned in 15 years. The Scottish couple who inherited the vase had used it as a lamp. They realized the value when they saw a similar piece in a museum. Christie’s Hong Kong sold the vase to Las Vegas casino owner Steve Wynn in 2006.

9. The Taber Family Tianqiuping Vase

Sale year: 2018

Sale price: $16.7 million

Price today: $18.86 million

This multi-colored Chinese vase "tianqiuping,” or heavenly globe vase, dates to the reign of the Qianlong Emperor. Producing such a vase was a highly technical and skilled art, requiring multiple kiln firings, and it was very costly. The piece has a round globe body with a long narrow neck and is decorated with stylized flowers and symbols of the previously mentioned Eight Taoist Immortals. The vase was purchased by George Taber in the early 20th century and passed down in his family. Mrs. Francis Keally (born Mildred Taber) bequeathed it to the Philbrook Museum of Art, which sold the piece to benefit future acquisitions.

8. The Yongzheng Emperor’s Double Dragon Amphora

Sale year: 2017

Sale price: $18.13 million

Price today: $20.98 million

The amphora’s design of double bamboo-patterned handles with dragon heads and a slim body with a narrow neck was inspired by eighth-century Tang Dynasty styles, while the bluish-green celadon glaze copied Song Dynasty Longquan ware. The vase set a world record for a Qing monochrome (single-color) porcelain when Christie’s sold it in 2004, and it set a new world record for a Chinese monochrome ceramic when Christie’s sold it again in 2017.

7. Chinese Yamanaka Reticulated Vase

Sale year: 2018

Sale price: $18.98 million

Price today: $21.43 million

The vase is named after the Japanese firm, Yamanaka & Company, which sourced Chinese artworks for English and American markets in the early 20th century. A Japanese collector bought the piece in 1924, and it didn’t appear for sale again for almost a century. The unusual ceramic has a double wall, with an inner vase and an outer celadon green reticulated, or lattice, body, with a yellow enamel neck and base. Art experts believe it’s part of a pair with the Jiqingyouyu Reticulated Vase (more on it later). Sotheby’s Hong Kong sold the Yamanaka vase in 2018.

6. Chinese Yangcai Famille-Rose Porcelain Vase

Sale year: 2018

Sale price: $19 million

Price today: $21.46 million

The French owners of this rare Qing dynasty vase found it stored in a shoebox. Their grandparents had inherited the ceramic from an uncle and, not liking the design, had put it in their attic where it lay forgotten. In 2018, the owners took it to Sotheby’s in Paris to be appraised. Art experts advised the family that the vase was made in the 18th century, during the reign of the Qianlong Emperor, and is rare Famille-Rose porcelain. Most examples of this type of ceramic are in museums. The vase is the only one known in this design, with a pink neck and bottom and painted body. The piece set a record for the most expensive Chinese porcelain sold in France.

5. Chinese Famille-Rose Butterfly Double-Gourd Vase Pair

Sale year: 2017

Sale price: $19.44 million

Price today: $22.5 million

This pair of extremely rare and valuable Famille-Rose double-gourd vases were made for the 18th-century Qianlong Court. Only four other single vases of this type have appeared on the open market. The vases are enameled and painted in pastel colors in the Famille-Rose style, with scenes of flowers and butterflies. Flowers, such as peonies, roses and asters, were considered highly auspicious by the Chinese and were associated with longevity, prosperity, health and happiness. Butterflies were a symbol of happiness and romantic love. An English woman from a noble family purchased this pair in the 1930s, and they were passed down through the family until the most recent owner sold them at a Christie’s auction in 2017.

4. Chinese Ming Dynasty Meiping Vase

Sale year: 2011

Sale price: $22.6 million

Price today: $28.5 million

This 15th-century Ming Dynasty vase is made of white porcelain painted with a blue glaze. The vase was made in the Meiping style, which resembled human features, with a plump chest, rounded belly and short, narrow neck. Such a piece was designed to hold a single branch of plum blossoms. While many Ming-era porcelains can be bought inexpensively, genuine imperial Ming pieces can sell for millions of dollars. When Sotheby’s Hong Kong sold this vase in 2011, the sale price broke the world record for a Ming porcelain.

3. Chinese Painted Enamel and Bronze Qing Dynasty Vase

Sale year: 2014

Sale price: $24.7 million

Price today: $29.6 million

This 18th-century Qing Dynasty vase is made of porcelain, painted enamel and bronze, and consists of multiple design styles, from blue and white, to celadon green to painted panels with stylized floral patterns and scenes of nature and daily life. Art experts estimate the pottery had fired the piece 15 times to achieve the complex multiple designs and colors. The National Palace Museum in Beijing owns the only other known ceramic in this style. The owner bought the ceramic at an auction in New York City in 1964 for $750. While the vase was cracked and scratched, the rarity and historical significance of the piece still ensured a high auction price. Skinner Boston sold the piece to an unknown Chinese buyer in 2014.

2. Chinese Imperial Phoenix Revolving Vase

Sale year: 2021

Sale price: $41.6 million

Price today: $43.56 million

This Chinese Imperial Revolving Vase contains an unusual mechanism that allows the piece to rotate, highlighting an elaborately painted phoenix, set against a raised nature scene depicting clouds, birds, a river and bridge. The ceramic is also ornately decorated with enamel on the neck and base, with gold accents. An English family first purchased the ceramic in 1875 and passed it down in the family until finally selling it at auction in 1999. Dealer William Chak bought the vase and sold it to an Asian collector, who resold the piece at auction in Beijing in 2021.

1. Chinese Jiqingyouyu Reticulated Vase

Sale year: 2012

Sale price: $32.8 million

Price today: $44.53 million

In 2010, Gene Johnson and her son, Tony, were clearing out the London house of Gene’s late sister when they found a dusty, brightly colored vase on a shelf. Gene’s brother-in-law, Mr. Newman, had bought it during a trip to the Far East in the 1930s. The unusual ceramic has a double wall, with an inner vase and an outer celadon green reticulated, or lattice, body, with a yellow enamel neck and base. The pair took the vase to Bainbridges Auction House, where art experts dated the rare, elaborately decorated ceramic to the mid to late 18th-century Qing Dynasty. In November, a private buyer from mainland China bought the vase at auction, setting a then-world record for Asian art of £43 million. However, the buyer failed to pay and Bainbridges resold the vase privately two years later for £25 million.