Left, an Eighteenth Century Qianlong-period Chinese porcelain vase sold at Philippe and Aymeric Rouillac for $5.9 million. Right, an Imperial Eighteenth Century “Yangcai” famille rose porcelain vase brought $19 million at Sotheby’s.

MONTBAZON and PARIS — Two Eighteenth Century Qianlong-period Chinese porcelain vases have made headlines in recent sales in France. The first, a 19¼-inch-tall blue and white moon vase, was sold June 10 by French auctioneers Philippe and Aymeric Rouillac for $5.9 million. The vase, believed to be one of just two in existence in the world, had been found in a French castle and had once been owned by a Royal Navy staff officer, who had acquired it between 1842 and 1847 while in the China Sea. The buyer was reported to be a private French collector. The second, an Imperial Eighteenth Century “Yangcai” famille rose porcelain vase, was sold June 12 at Sotheby’s. The subject of a 20-minute bidding battle, it ultimately finished at $19 million, which Sotheby’s states is a record for any Chinese porcelain sold at auction in France. Discovered by chance in the attic of a private French home, it was brought to Sotheby’s Paris in a shoe box. Sotheby’s disclosed that the buyer was an Asian private collector.

For additional information, www.rouillac.com/en or www.sothebys.com.