When a British surgeon from the Midlands acquired this Chinese vase in the 1980s, he had no idea what a unique treasure he was looking at. The seller must have been completely clueless too, as he was only asking for a few hundred pounds for it.
The vase found a place as a decorative element in the surgeon's house, and he eventually bequeathed it to his equally clueless son, who placed it in his kitchen. It was there that the vase finally caught the eye of Mark Newstead, an expert in Asian art and ceramics, who discovered its true value.
See also: A Timeline of Chinese Porcelain: Neolithic to Modern
The true age of the vase was revealed by looking at the bottom, where the six-part mark of the Qianlong period (1736-1795) is clearly visible. However, the vase is not a typical piece of its time, but rather a masterpiece of which no other example is known and whose exceptional quality speaks for the fact that it was an object for the imperial palace.
Its shape, based on Chinese iconography in which the sky is a sphere, is called tianqiuping ("heavenly spherical vase"). The motif with cranes and bats is said to bring the owner of the vase a long life and prosperity. The rich cobalt blue is particularly well-known from vessels used for offerings at the imperial altar in heaven. The enamel paintings in gold and silver are also extremely rare. Silver enamel in particular is rarely encountered due to its complicated handling.
See also: Chinese Porcelain: How to Build a Collection
Combined with each other, the colour, pattern and enamel techniques are not known in any other piece.
On 18 May, the vase will be sold at Dreweatts auction house in Newbury, Berkshire.
“We are delighted to be able to offer this important vase to the market which, since I first saw it in the 1990’s has passed through two generations of the same family,” says Mark Newstead, Specialist Consultant at Dreweatts for Asian Ceramics and Works of Art, commented.
The vase, which changed hands for a few hundred pounds around forty years ago, is estimated to be worth around £100,000-150,000.
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