Qianlong vase initially valued at $1300 sets record price of $69 million at auction

Its been happening so frequently that these headlines are almost starting to become old news. Still, it does make you want to go poking around in your grandmothers attic…

chinese vase sets record price 300x212 Qianlong vase initially valued at $1300 sets record price of $69 million at auction

Credit: Reuters/Bainbridges

Neglected Family Vase Sets 66 million Record for Chinese Art at Auction

Apparently the  18th-century  Qianlong-era porcelain vase was discovered while cleaning out a modest London suburb home. Other then knowing it was acquired in the 193o’s, the anonymous family who owned it knows little else as to its origins. According to the auctioneer Bainbridges, the vase itself dates from the  Qianlong period (1740′s) and would have  most definitely been fired in the imperial kilns before finally residing in the Chinese Royal Palace. According to the Antiques Trade Gazette, Bainbridges is a small suburban auction house which normally deals with cheaper antiques, equipment and lawnmowers.  Not bad, considering they stand to reap a 13.8 million dollar buyers premium from the sale. Purchased by a Chinese bidder on behalf of an undisclosed buyer, the sale price was not only more than 40 times the pre-sale estimate, but it set a new record for a Chinese work of art. But wait – it gets better.  “About 30 years ago it was shown on a television show called Going For A Song where an expert appraised it at $1300 as a “very good copy.” Poor guy – I definitely would not want to be him right about now.

Regardless of whatever price was paid, the real or fake, the vase really is absolutely stunning. Beautiful!

The downside? A tax bill totalling a few million.

Read more on the web:

Woman finds out her father’s jade collection is worth over a million USD.

18th-Century Qianlong Jade Collection from Qing Dynasty

Appraised Value:

$710,000 – $1,070,000

Watch the appraisal video here on the Antiques Roadshow website. Or even better, watch this interview with the owner in North Carolina.

jade appraisal video 150x150 Woman finds out her fathers jade collection is worth over a million USD.

GUEST: My father was in China two different times– I think in the late ’30s and sometime during the ’40s, with the Army, and he was a liaison of some sort. He was just a Kentucky farm boy, but he learned Chinese and he met a Mr. Liang at number ten Jade Street, and that’s pretty much what I remember him always telling me. Mr. Liang would call him and say, “John, I have some pieces you might want to look at.” As children, we heard that some of them had imperial seals, and then I just always have been curious.

APPRAISER: Well, that Mr. Liang must have been a very, very good friend of your father’s, because he led him down the path of great collecting. Generally you see people who purchase things in China at that period of time, and they purchased things that were very, very poor quality. These things are all of very, very fine quality. Did you have any idea about the value on these things?

GUEST: This dragon bowl, as we’ve always called it, we’ve always heard that it may be worth a lot of money, but no, I don’t know the value.

APPRAISER: You start with, basically, the runt of the litter in terms of these groups is that bowl there. And that’s a bowl that’s based on a style from India that they refer to as Mogul style. And it’s Chinese, 18th century. Very, very thin carving, really beautiful, crisp workmanship. This one here is the same style, but only a little more ornate. This is also Mogul style, also 18th century.

GUEST: So 1700s.

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Hot Seller: Chinese Calligraphy Brushes

green 500.thumbnail Hot Seller: Chinese Calligraphy Brushes

 Chinese horse hair calligraphy brushes seem to be a hot seller recently. Actually, they have been doing well for quite some time now. We get quite a number of requests for them, particularly from smaller shops, boutiques and designers. They make great accessory items which fit with a range of decorating styles – and depending on how they are displayed, can be seen either as “exotic,” “world traveler,” or simply “oriental.” They are small enough to ship express and inexpensive enough to be impulse buys (while thinking about larger purchases). Whats not to like about them? They come in a range of materials from carved green jade, carved stone, pearl, bone handle, bamboo, glass beads or Cloisonne.

Sidenote: Have a quick look at this video of Chinese water graffiti which I found on Reuben Miller’s blog. Pretty cool actually and yes, some of the larger brushes do get used for this in fact. Every time I go to Jing Shan park in Beijing there is always someone doing this.

Like these brushes? Head over to our Home decor reference catalog for wholesalers to get some for yourself.

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ACF China appears on China Central Television’s “Culture Express” program

A while back, ACF’s Roger Schwendeman was featured on CCTV (China Central Television) Channel 4′s program Culture Express. CCTV 4 is broadcast throughout China, Hong Kong, Macao, Taiwan and worldwide via satellite.

CCTV’s team accompanied Roger for several days during buying trips of un-restored Chinese antiques, and then onward to oversee the next steps of restorations and repairs. They also accompanied him to the Panjiayuan weekend market. We have not yet uploaded the video but plan to do so to soon.

2494052011 0c780ee520 ACF China appears on China Central Televisions Culture Express program

2494870494 ab9e98199f ACF China appears on China Central Televisions Culture Express program

2494869720 f26b9758e4 ACF China appears on China Central Televisions Culture Express program2494869820 1abc2c043b ACF China appears on China Central Televisions Culture Express program

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Art of Asia: Ceramics – Innovations in Clay

There are some good youtube posting on porcelain and ceramics, starting out with this interesting eight minute long academic video overview of the history of Asian ceramics put out by the “Minneapolis Institute of Arts.“

“Ceramic production in Asia dates back many thousands of years. The Chinese have always been regarded as the undisputed masters of ceramics. Other Asian cultures have made astonishing contributions as well. The collection at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts sheds light on virtually every type of Asian ceramic—from Neolithic vessels, to Japanese tea bowls, to Chinese export porcelain, and beyond. “

[[Youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6qkg16A9SlA]]

The specialists guide to Chinese antiques is Stephen Fry proof thanks to caching by WP Super Cache