China \\\'chicken cup\\\' may sell for record $38m

A rare Ming-era Chinese wine cup, one of only 19 known to exist, could fetch a record US $ 38 million or more when it goes under the hammer in Hong Kong this week, auctioneers have said. The small white porcelain cup, decorated with a colour painting of a rooster and a hen tending to their chicks, was made during the reign of the Chenghua Emperor between 1465 to 1487, Sotheby’s auction house said. It could sell for an estimated HK $ 300 m ($ 38.68 m) or more on Tuesday, deputy chairman for Sotheby’s Asia Nicolas Chow said. If it does, it will break the world record for the sale of any Chinese works or art or porcelain. Currently, that record is held by a gourd-shaped vase from the Qianlong period, which sold for HK $ 252.66 m in 2010. The estimate also exceeds the world record for Ming Dynasty porcelain – currently held by a blue and white vase from the period which sold for HK $ 168.66 m in 2011. The chicken cup represents the pinnacle of Ming-era porcelain production, according to AFP.