Chinese Imperial Vase

“Oh, that old thing?” The big blue vase in the Englishman’s kitchen was an inheritance from his father, who paid a few hundred pounds for it in the 1980s. The vase’s owner didn’t realize what he had among his pots and pans. A visit from an antiques specialist revealed that the object is a rare Chinese Imperial vase, bearing the distinctive six-character mark of the Qianlong period (1736–1795). The 2-foot-tall, blue-glazed silver and gilt vase, decorated with cranes and bats, was created for the court of the Qianlong Emperor. At London’s Dreweatts Auctioneers’ May auction, the piece sold for almost £1.5 million (USD $1.9 million) after spirited bidding from buyers in the US, UK, Hong Kong and China.

Photo: Dreweatts