Carved with figures among pines and a pagoda to one side and with a stag and cranes to the other, it measured 8½in (22cm) diameter and was among a number of pieces from the clearance of a flat of a Leeds lady who had been in the antiques trade with her husband some 40 years ago.
The catalogue illustrations - one on the inside front cover and two more inside - showed the fine, deep carving but also clearly showed a small russet inclusion, a tiny chip to an edge and a minuscule resin-filled natural crater blemish. For these reasons, said Nigel Smith at Tennants' Harrogate branch who carried out the crucial clearance, it had been cautiously appraised and estimated at £3000-5000 for the June 25-26 sale.
The best of the circular jade table screens produced during the reign of Qianlong (examples of which have sold for close to $1m in Hong Kong) were carefully chosen for the translucency of the material - their quality only really apparent when the stone is illuminated from behind. Landscape carvings of this type - often reproducing classical paintings from the Imperial collection - were particularly favoured by the Emperor.
Speculation that this too was an Imperial piece, saw competition from China spiral to £300,000. It sold to an internet bidder, underbid in the room and by several telephone lines.
The buyer's premium was 20%.
