‘It’s bursting with Eastern promise’
GOOD NEWS: VASE IS WORTH £25K BAD NEWS: IF PRISTINE, IT COULD HAVE SOLD FOR £700K - EXPERT
IT seems to have been a case of: “What do you want first? The good news or the bad news?” when an antiques expert visited a house in Leicestershire.
The expert had visited the property to value a few items.
His attention was drawn to a cracked and glued-together vase hidden away under a table.
He immediately knew something special.
The householder was told the good news that even in its cracked and glued-together state the item was worth £25,000.
But the bad news was if the large Chinese lantern vase had been in good condition, it could have sold for up to £700,000, according to Hansons Auctioneers.
Despite its appearance, Charles Hanson, owner of Hansons, realised the potential of the 18-inch-high pot due to its Chinese pedigree.
“It’s bursting with Eastern promise,” he said.
“It dates back to the period of it was
Emperor Qianlong, circa 1735-99, which makes it a rarity and potentially extremely sought after.
“It was languishing under a table in a living room. I spotted it during a routine house visit I undertook in Leicestershire to assess a range of antiques.
“In good condition its auction estimate would have been in the region of £600,000 to £700,000.”
The vase, lot 182, is due to be sold in Hansons’ Fine Art Auction on Monday, December 7 with a guide price of £15,000-£25,000.
The auctioneers said the lantern vase features contrasting shades of cobalt blue and is decorated with a herd of deer, including a red stag and blue doe, in a mountainous landscape with pine trees and rock work.
They said the neck of the vase has parallel bands depicting cranes and clouds, Lingzhi prunus, fruiting peach branches and ruyi head motifs. Mr Hanson said: “The vase was probably manufactured in the imperial kilns under the direction of Tang Ying during the early years of Qianlong’s reign, circa 1740, which would make it nearly 300 years old.
“The landscape is reminiscent of the work of Wang Hui, circa 16321717.
“A similar pair of vases were exhibited at the Minneapolis Museum of Art in America in 2004.
“Though the vase we have found has been broken and glued back together, it is still exceptional thanks to its subtle combination of underglaze blue and copper red pigments.
Finds like this often spark strong bidding from the Far East
Charles Hanson, right, with the vase
“Also, dense flecking in blue and red gives the impression of grey on two of the deer and on the trunk of the vase a more pinkish colour is achieved. “This demonstrates both the virtuosity of the painter and the skill of the kiln master in the perfect firing of the copper red pigments. “The Chinese are extremely proud of their artistic heritage and the advanced skills their ancestors perfected centuries ago.
“Consequently, finds like this often spark strong bidding from the Far East as wealthy collectors like to repatriate items to their homeland.”
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