A Chinese vase given to a cleaning lady by her employer as a retirement present has sold for £92,000 at auction.The red, white and blue vase was inherited by the cleaner’s grandson, who kept it on a shelf next to his TV.

He only realised it might be valuable when he saw a picture of a similar vase, which had been sold for £240,000 in a separate auction, in a newspaper.

It was bought by an anonymous Chinese dealer and will return to China after the auction at Bonhams in London.

“This is a lost treasure of the Qing dynasty,” Bonhams senior specialist in Asian art Julian King said.

“I had gone to view it with little excitement because discoveries of this kind are rare. But there it was.”

Dating from the 18th Century, the vase is 8in (20cm) high and features yin and yang symbols and symmetrical flower heads.

Only three other vases of this type are known to have been sold at auction.