Video: Why the Song dynasty dish is worth £17m Sotheby's said on Wednesday that eight bidders competed for the Ruyao washer over 15 minutes before it sold for HK$208 million (£16.8 million). That was triple the pre-sale estimate. Sotheby's said the price surpassed the previous record set in April 2008 for Song dynasty ceramics, when a vase sold by the auction house went for HK$67.5 million (£5.5m). The auction house said the flower-shaped bowl was from a private Japanese collection and was "arguably the most desirable piece of Ru official ware remaining in private hands." The auction result underscores Hong Kong's position as the world's third largest auction hub, driven by soaring demand from newly wealthy Chinese collectors.