Falangcai (famille rose) bowl. [cnsphoto]

HONG KONG - An 18th century Chinese famille rose "swallows" bowl has broken the world record for a Qing Dynasty porcelain piece, selling for HK$151.3 million (US$19.5 million) at a Christie's auction in Hong Kong on Tuesday.

The pre-auction estimate for the piece from the Qianlong period had been HK$60 million to HK$80 million.

The finely potted white bowl, exquisitely decorated with a blossoming apricot, willow and a pair of spring swallows is considered to be one of the great masterpieces of porcelain from the Qianlong period.

The piece, which once belonged to the Woolworth heiress Barbara Hutton, bears the reign mark of the Qianlong emperor (1736-1795) on its base.

Another bowl with a similar ten-character poetic inscription and swallow motif is in the collection of the Percival David Foundation in London.

The seller was Chinese art dealer and collector Robert Chang, who celebrates his 80th birthday this year. The winning bidder was his sister, Dr. Alice Cheng.

"I paid more than double because I thought if a person wants to buy it, it must be worth that money," Cheng said. "Maybe I'll lose money if I sell it, but ... I will not sell. I never sell my things."

The last record price was for a Qing pheasant vase auctioned by Sotheby's in Hong Kong in October 2005 for HK$115.48 million, a Christie's PR official said.

In the decades since Chang's arrival in Hong Kong in 1949 from Shanghai, he has been at the vanguard of influential art lovers who have helped develop Hong Kong into the international centre for Chinese art which it is today.

The 'falangcai' (famille rose) bowl, as it is known in Chinese, was part of a collection of 20 rare and valuable pieces put up for auction by Chang at Christie's autumn sales in Hong Kong on Tuesday.

Previous sales of Chang's renowned collection in 1999 and 2000 also yielded several records for Qing porcelain.