Published 19:15 IST, September 3rd 2019
Chinese Vase bought for a Pound once belonged to Qianlong Emperor
A Chinese vase bought for a Pound once belonged to a Qianlong Emperor and turned out to be worth 80,000 pounds after the buyer put it on auction on eBay.
In what maybe termed as a 'lucky find', a man bought a vase for one British pound (less than Rs 90), and later found it to be worth GBP 50,000-80,000, or anywhere between Rs 43,56,202- 69,69,923. It was only after he listed the vase on eBay when the man learned about the its value through offers and bids. The unnamed buyer, then decided to withdraw the item from the online auction and get it professionally appraised and what he found was even more amazing. The vase originally belonged to a Chinese Emperor!
The Vase's glorious history
As per media reports, the 8-inch vase once belonged to the Qianlong Emperor, who reigned from 1735 - 1796. Reports said that it's a 'Qianlong Famille rose wall vase' with a poem praising incense, inscribed on it. Other evident marks include two iron-red seal marks on the side which read Qianlong Chen han (the Qianlong Emperor's own mark), and Weijing weiyi (be precise, be undivided), quoted Sworders Fine Art Auctioneers' in Essex, UK, who appraised the vase. Bought in Hertfordshire, the vase is once again up for auction in November.
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Yexue Li, head of the Asian art department for Sworders, said to the media that the anonymous buyer was shocked and excited when he found out about the vase's real worth. She said that the man told her that he picked the vase from a charity shop only because of its looks. He had very little idea of its worth so he auctioned it at a very meagre price. When there was a lot of interest and hikes in auctions, he was amazed. Later the man took the vase off eBay and brought it to Yexue Li who herself was equally excited to tell him about the vase's importance.
Similar Lucky Finds
Such incidents of lucky finds have been seen in many places across the world. A similar incident took place last year when a painting bought at a thrift store for 75 Euros turned out to be a Johan Aarts original. It later sold for over 30,000 Euros. Likewise, a 400-year-old painting discovered buried at the bottom of a closet, turned out to be a work of Dutch painter Otto van Veen and was worth millions of dollars.
Updated 20:11 IST, September 3rd 2019