Cracked vase sells for 10 times guide price
£200,000 BID AT AUCTION FOR CHINESE ORNAMENT
A CRACKED 18th century vase found “languishing under a table” at a Leicestershire home has been sold at auction for £200,000 – about 10 times its guide price.
The 300-year-old Chinese lantern vase, which had been glued together after being damaged during a party in the the 1950s, was only expected to fetch between £15,000 and £25,000 due to its condition.
However, 11 interested parties bid against each other until a private internet buyer from China secured the item for £200,000.
Hansons Auctioneers in Derbyshire said the price raised by the “badly broken” piece on Monday had left staff stunned.
The 18-inch-tall treasure was spotted under a table when the firm’s owner made a routine visit to a home in the county to assess the value of a number of antiques.
Listed as lot 182 at a Hansons auction this week, it was described as “having cracks aplenty and visible repairs”.
Despite the guide price, the vase – which dates back to the Qianlong era, between 1735 and 1799 – sparked fierce competition between phone and online bidders.
Charles Hanson, owner of Hansons, said: “In good condition its auction estimate would have been in the region of £600,000 to £700,000.
“Though the vase had been smashed at a hunting party in the 1950s, it still displayed exceptional artistry thanks to its subtle combination of underglaze blue and copper red pigments.
“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 Chinese are extremely proud of their artistic heritage and the
CRACKS: The Chinese lantern vase
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.”
The vase features a depiction of a herd of deer, including a red stag and blue doe, in a mountainous landscape with pine trees.