An undated company photograph shows the painting "Lotus Picking" by artist Qiu Ying

A Qing Dynasty vase that fetched 1,785 pounds ($3,574) in 1971 may sell for $8 million in December at Christie's International's auction of Chinese antiques.

The imperial vase, painted with flower sprays and enameled butterflies, is part of a collection that once belonged to the wife of the late art dealer J.T. Tai. The 151 artworks are being sold by the Ping Y. Tai Foundation in three auctions in New York and Hong Kong starting Sept. 17, Christie's said in a statement. The sale may raise a combined $28 million, the company said.

Most of the pieces were gifts to Ping Y. Tai from her husband, the statement said. Ping died in 1998 at 85. Until his death in 1992, J.T. Tai was one of the most revered dealers in Chinese art.

``I knew J.T. for years; he has very good taste in Chinese ceramics,'' said Hong Kong collector Robert Chang, who in November 2006 sold a Qing porcelain bowl for a record HK$151.3 million ($19.4 million). ``It would be interesting to see how the market responds to his collection.''

Other auction highlights include an early Ming Dynasty (1368- 1644) vase with so-called ``sweet white'' glaze that's expected to fetch as much as $800,000 at the New York auction featuring bronzes and ceramics dating from the Shang Dynasty (1600-1100 BC).

The second auction, scheduled for Dec. 2 in Hong Kong, will feature paintings. The highlight of the sale is ``Lotus Picking'' by Qiu Ying (1495-1552), a picture of a scholar reclining in a pavilion, watching ladies gather lotus seeds that once belonged to Emperor Qianlong. Another highlight is the ``The Pine Hill Studio'' by painter and poet Tang Yin (1479-1523), which is expected to fetch HK$11 million, Christie's said.

The Qing vase will be offered on Dec. 3 in Hong Kong. The city, which levies no tax on artworks, is the top market for Chinese ceramics traded outside mainland China.

Christie's holds biannual auctions in Hong Kong. In May, the London-based auction house's sale of gems, ceramics and artworks fetched a record HK$2.4 billion.