This Yongzheng (1722-35) mark and period Eight Immortals bowl sold for £26,000 at the Hansons (20% buyer’s premium) auction in Teddington last month.

Extracted from Antiques Trade Gazette | Roland Arkell

The bowl, which measures 4½in (11cm) in diameter, is decorated in underglaze blue with the eight Daoist immortals to the exterior. The star gods Shoulao, Fuxing and Luxing are depicted beneath a pine tree in the centre.

It is rare to find this design with a Yongzheng reign mark, although similar decoration is well known on bowls with Qianlong and later reign marks.

Its commercial fortunes were hampered by three firing imperfections to the centre but at this south-west London auction there were half-a-dozen bidders in the mix above the £20,000 top estimate.

The auction house said the bowl, spotted among a box of general items a client brought in for valuation, was sold to a private international buyer at the February 22 auction.

A similar bowl offered in Hong Kong last year with an estimate of around £70,000-90,000 failed to sell.