This Chinese porcelain Ming “moonflask” vase found in a box is estimated to sell for as much as 1 million pounds ($1.6 million) at an auction house in Dorset, England, on May 12. ARTKABINETT social network for fine art collectors has recently identified several fine art objects stashed away in people's homes. It seems as if we must be very careful when cleaning out Grandma's attic.
“An old boy brought in a cardboard box of stuff, and the blue and white vase was just in there,” Guy Schwinge, director of the Dorchester-based auction house Duke’s, said in an interview. “When I first saw it, I couldn’t believe it.”
The vase dates from the Yongle period (1403-1424) and is decorated with Islamic-style motifs. It is in perfect condition and has a low estimate of 500,000 pounds, Schwinge said.
The owner is a 79-year-old former worker at Cadbury’s.
The “attic find” follows the sale of a Qing vase, found in a house clearance, for 51.6 million pounds at Bainbridges in Ruislip, west London, on Nov. 11 -- a record for any Chinese work offered at auction.
The Beijing-based bidder who bought it was given some time to pay and collect. Bainbridge (pictured right) said on Feb. 3 that payment hadn’t been received, though this wasn’t a concern. He wouldn’t say when the invoice was due.
“It would have been naive to expect immediate payment for a piece of that value,” said the London-based dealer Alastair Gibson, a former Asian-art department head at Sotheby’s.
“Auction houses routinely give extended payment terms for objects of more than $100,000,” Gibson said.
“If you’re dealing with Mr. Big in Beijing, it’s difficult to force the issue. They’re happy to allow things to sit in strongboxes. I wouldn’t be surprised if we’re talking about this in two years’ time.”
