An 18th century jade teapot crafted for a Chinese emperor and described as 'intrinsically perfect' has sold at auction for £2million.
The artefact - which was originally made for Qianlong, the fourth ruler of the Chinese Qing dynasty - recently sold at Sotheby's in Hong Kong for HK$21,640,000 or approximately £2million, following a fierce bidding war.
The pot, which measures eight inches long and five inches high, had over 20 bids at auction and sold for above its top estimate to a private Asian company.
And despite being more than 200-years-old, the Khotan white jade teapot has remained in exquisite condition, having rarely been used for tea-making.
Its £2million price tag has now placed it among the world's most expensive; however, a bejewelled pot named 'The Egoist' has kept the Guinness World Record top spot at a value of £3million.
The teapot has a rich history, being custom-made for 'jade obsessed' emperor Qianlong - who ruled when Chinese jade art was perfected through mining, material selection and carving.
Under Qianlong, an abundance of jade items were produced, but teapots were among the most rare due to the demanding nature of the craft.
The teapot was taken out of China by the British in the 19th century, and owned by Scottish aristocrat Hinton Daniell Stewart, the sixth Laird of Strathgarry.
An 18th century jade teapot crafted for a Chinese emperor has sold at Sotheby's in Hong Kong for £2million
The artefact was originally made for 'jade obsessed' Qianlong, the fourth ruler of the Chinese Qing dynasty (pictured)
The teapot, which was described as 'intrinsically perfect,' was owned by the Stewart family (pictured) for centuries, before a Hong Kong-based collector bought it in 2011
Stewart - who founded cotton merchants Stewart Thompson and Sons - had links to China from an early age and collected a number of exceptional Chinese works of art.
The teapot was displayed in London at the International Exhibition from 1871 and 1886, before it was passed down through generations of the Stewart family.
It was finally brought back to China after a Hong Kong-based collector bought it in 2011.
A spokesperson for Sotheby's described the item as 'truly exceptional,' and 'superbly articulated from pristine white stone of the most superlative quality'.
The spokesperson said it is 'undoubtedly the most flawless of any jade teapot or ewer in private hands,' and a 'masterpiece of creation'.
They said: 'A small number of other examples of comparable quality, created in the latter years of the Qianlong reign after the conquest of Xinjiang, has emerged on the international market over the years, but all demonstrate evidence of russet enhancements to the surface, deliberately created in the Imperial Palace Workshops to cover deficiencies in the stone.
'This is the only example that is intrinsically perfect, with no interruption to the flawless quality of the stone.
'It is a masterpiece of creation, embodying the highest standards achieved in the Imperial workshops in a golden age of Chinese civilisation at the height of its power and prosperity.'