A vase bought for a few hundred pounds turned into an incredibly rare 250-year-old ruin made for the emperor of China – and sold for an astonishing 1.5 million when it went under the hammer.
A vase kept in a UK kitchen sold for 1.5 1.5 million at auction – although the owner had no idea about its value, it turned out to be a 250-year-old ruin for the Chinese emperor.
The 18th-century vase was bought by an English surgeon in the 1980s for a few hundred pounds and given to his son, who had no idea it was so valuable and historic.
It was then that an antiques expert discovered in his kitchen that he understood what was in his house and that it was estimated to be worth about 150,000 pounds.
But when it did come down to the hammer, a bidding war broke out and Dani eventually made লাভ 1,449,000, including a buyer’s premium, a record for auction house Drewets.
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One observer said: “The atmosphere was electric.
“The bidding on the phone was delayed. It was insane. ”
Commenting on the exceptional results, Mark Newstead, Asian Ceramics and Artworks Advisor at Drewwet, said: “We are pleased with the exceptional results.
“We have seen huge interest from China, Hong Kong, the US and the UK, which has led to very competitive bids.
“The results show high demand for the best porcelain in the world. An excellent result and we are honored to be able to sell it to Drewets. ”
The huge vase made for the court of the Qianlong emperor is 60 cm high and carries the six-letter mark of the Qianlong period between 1736 and 1795.
An exceptional example of Qianlong Imperial porcelain, it features highly unusual enameling techniques with an attractive palette of gold and silver in a bright blue soil.
Known as the “Heavenly Ball Dani”, the creation was extremely difficult to master.
The Chinese name for this vase shape is “Tiankuping”, meaning “celestial sphere vase”, referring to Chinese sculpture, where the sky is represented as a sphere.
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It explains the large round shape of the vase, which refers to the sky.
Experts say it is “extremely rare” to see blue vases painted with both gilding and slightly raised silver, perhaps the medium is difficult to control.
The remarkable quality of this vase, its memorable size and impressive appearance, as well as its delicate and elegant decoration made it suitable for a distinguished display in a hall of the King’s Palace.
No other porcelain vessel decorated with the same motif of gold and silver seems to have ever been recorded.
A devout Buddhist, Emperor Qianlong was also a follower of Daoism with a desire for longevity.
This desire is expressed in the silver storks in the vase, which carries a symbol for each of the eight immortals associated with Dawood, including: a basket of flowers, a flute, a fan, and a castnet on the body of the vase.
Flying storks and bats also carry the good news of longevity and prosperity.
The vase was sold at the Drewets Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art auction and the hammer was priced at £ 1.2 million, a record for the Drewets auction house – it eventually went to an international buyer abroad.