A 600-YEAR-old Chinese teapot made for a Ming Dynasty emperor is tipped to sell for £8.3million.
The 9in tall, blue-and-white jug boasts a clawed dragon design and was made between 1402 and 1424.
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The emperor Zhu Di’s personal ewer is likely to spark a bidding war at Sotheby’s Hong Kong on April 8.
Expert Nicholas Chow said: “This is one of the most iconic imperial porcelains we have sold in 50 years.”
Nicholas added: “To celebrate the 50th anniversary of Sotheby’s Asia, it is our great privilege to present at auction one of the most iconic imperial porcelains that we have sold in the last 50 years.
“This superb ewer decorated with a five-clawed dragon, a masterpiece of blue and white porcelain, was produced for the personal use of the Yongle Emperor during the very pinnacle of the Ming dynasty.
“The ewer graced the cover of the T.Y. Chao auction in 1987, itself one of the most celebrated collections of Chinese art ever to have been presented at Sotheby’s, and has not been seen on the market for almost 40 years.”
Zhu Di was the third Emperor of the Ming dynasty, reigning from 1402 to 1424.
