PARIS.- Sotheby’s final sale of 2011 in Paris, devoted to Asian Art, totalled €12.45 million against an overall pre-sale estimate of €6.5-9m. The highest price rewarded an 18th century cabinet formed by four carved zitan panels of dragons, from the reign of Emperor Qianlong. This remarkable item of furniture, of exceptional size, has exquisite carving in a wood reserved exclusively for imperial use. The cabinet was discovered and identified in a French private collection; its price of €2,528,750 reflects the importance bidders accord works of historic significance with an imperial background (lot 35). The sale’s second-highest price of €960,750 went to a rare Qing Dynasty Chinese porcelain tea-dust Hu vase, with gold highlights and a Qianlong hallmark (1736-95). The vase’s special glaze, imitating the oxidation of archaic bronze vases, reflects the amazing savoir-faire attained by the imperial po