Woolley & Wallis’ head of Asian Art John Axford said a local man bought the vase at a car boot fair. After initially posting it on eBay and receiving bids of more than £10,000, he decided to remove the online listing and instead bring it in to be valued at the Salisbury saleroom.
The vase measures 12cm high (20cm in total with its base) and has a four-character Qianlong Imperial mark. The pear-shaped body is decorated with two quails, millet and blue rocks on an Imperial yellow ground beneath a border of small blue ruyi heads and a central gilded collar.
Initially it was believed the base did not match the vase, however Axford and his team discovered it was very similar to an example in the British Museum which had been donated in 1936.
The vase was estimated at £20,000-30,000 at the Salisbury auction.
