The Car-Boot Vase
21st November 2016
An inexpensive car-boot purchase has proven to be an excellent investment by a Hampshire enthusiast. Bought for £10 and despite extensive damage the lot sold for a premium inclusive £61,000 in the November Asian Art sale.
Having decided to list the item on eBay, the owner was astonished when the bidding rocketed to over £10,000. He withdrew the small oriental enamelled vase and sought advice from Asian Art specialist John Axford.
Bearing the four character Qianlong mark and of the period 1736-95, the small ‘two quails’ vase
is from the Beijing Imperial Palace. It would have been made by Imperial command in the palace workshop.
Highlights from the sale were on view at our Mayfair office before the sale with many clients keen to see the car-boot sale purchase for themselves.
John commented "This vase is another example of why it is important that members of the public can bring items to specialist auctioneers for information and an auction appraisal. In 2012 we sold a brush pot on behalf of a charity to whom the pot was donated and it sold for £360,000.
"The owner saw it on a stall, thought it looked interesting and having bought it decided to offer it on eBay but within a very short space of time he had been inundated with questions and the bids had gone to £10,000, it was then he realised it was possibly something very special."
The vase and the hexagonal base it is attached to measure less than eight inches and it is believed there is another matching example in the British Museum.
The story was covered by the international media. Click on the links below to see the articles.
