A 'rouge-de-fer' bottle vase, Kangxi. Sold for £7,500 (€10,400). Photo Bonhams

The globular body enamelled in iron red and highlighted in gilt with ruyi-shaped cartouches enclosing large flower heads borne on leafy tendrils, alternated with leafy sprays to the lower register, all beneath a geometric band to the shoulder, the long slender neck decorated with stiff leaves bordered by a stylised floral band to the rim. 44.2cm (17 3/9in) high

Provenance: a distinguished European private collection

For a related vase but with a different design of birds and animals in the Shanghai Museum Collection, see Kangxi Porcelain Wares from the Shanghai Museum Collection, Hong Kong, 1998, pp.290-1, no.189.

Bonhams. FINE CHINESE ART, 14 May 2015 10:00 BST - LONDON, NEW BOND STREET