Japanese vase sells for £9,500
A MAN-SIZE antique Japanese vase, found in a Loughborough bungalow, has sold for thousands of pounds.
The Japanese cloisonne vase, which is 5ft 8ins tall, was found in the lounge of the home during a routine home visit.
The vase, which is nearly as tall as the man who found it, Adrian Rathbone, associate director of Hansons Auctioneers in Derbyshire - a six-footer - sold for a hammer price of £9,500 to a phone bidder.
Mr Rathbone said: “It’s a wonderful result and I’m delighted for our vendor. I received a call one day from the owner requesting a vase valuation. I asked if they could pop over to our auction centre with it but they said it was a bit too big.
“I arranged to go over to value it at their home and was amazed when I saw it. It’s huge. It’s also exceptional in terms of quality. It’s an exhibitionsize Japanese cloisonne vase from the Meiji period dating back to between 1868-1912. The Meiji period is widely regarded as the heyday of the finest Japanese works of art.”
The rare object is decorated with six doves perched among cherry blossom on a plain black ground. It’s 177cm tall (5ft 8ins) and 44cm wide.
“It’s extraordinary to find something like this in an average-sized home,” said Mr Rathbone.
“It belonged to the owner’s late mother who bought it at a country house sale in the 1950s.”
The Japanese cloisonne vase was sold in Hansons’ Antiques and Collectors Auction at its saleroom in Etwall, Derbyshire.