An 18th century, 24 meter scroll was sold to an anonymous Hong
Kong bidder for $31m in Toulouse, setting a new French auction record for
Chinese art and stirring excitement in the art collecting world in the
process.

The antique parchment was discovered in a Paris
attic, having been looted from China’s
Forbidden City by French troops in 1900. The Chinese
silk masterpiece is believed to have been painted in around the 1700s under the
Qianlong emperor, the fourth ruler of the Qing dynasty.

Sadly, the original case for the manuscript was retained by
the owners. ‘The case would have added at least another 300,000 euros to the
price,’ Pierre Ansas, the specialist who catalogued the painting, told
Bloomberg.

Via [Paul Fraser Collectibles]