Sold at TEFAF in Maastricht by London dealers Littleton and Hennessy, this Chinese bronze tapir was bought by a Chinese collector for $12m (£6.1m).
Made in about the fourth century BC and beautifully inlaid with gold and turquoise, the 11in (26.5cm) high little beast proved a big crowd puller at the TEFAF private view on March 8. With an asking price of $12m (£6.1m), it sold last Wednesday to a Chinese collector.
James Hennessy said: "We are delighted that the tapir has found a Chinese collector and we are delighted that TEFAF now holds the world's record price for an archaic Chinese bronze. Possibly this collector is going to present it to a major Chinese museum."
This tapir is one of only two bronzes with such extensive and beautiful inlay known to exist, the other is in a museum in Taiwan.
The tapir was one of many million-plus sales at TEFAF which ran from March 9 to 18.
