Estimated at £300-500, a finely decorated Qing famille rose pen box and cover was knocked down for £33,000 at John Nicholson’s (25% buyer’s premium) on April 24.
Measuring just 6in (15cm) across, it opens to reveal compartments for brushes and ink blocks. Although unmarked, this diminutive scholar’s object was thought to date to the late years of the Qianlong (1735-96) period or that of his successor Jaiqing (1796-1820).