SAN FRANCISCO, CA.- The crowded auction room at Bonhams & Butterfields in San Francisco burst into applause seconds after a record-setting price was attained for a rare and large example of a Ming underglaze copper red dish recently discovered within a San Francisco estate. The rare copper red dish sold for $5,726,250 - after competitive bidding via telephone from international clients.

Bonhams cautiously carried the 18-inch diameter plate on a global tour (New York, London, Hong Kong, San Francisco) and was pleased to see it do so well, setting a World record for the at-auction sale of a piece of Ming porcelain. Congratulations to the staff of the Asian Works of Art Dept.