In the 1980s, an English surgeon paid a few hundred pounds for a Chinese vase kept in the kitchen; in 2022 an expert spotted the Qianlong mark and it made £1.45M

A Chinese porcelain vase spent years as an ordinary household decoration in an English family’s home. The owner purchased it for a couple of hundred pounds decades ago, not realising that the vase was related to the imperial Court of the Qing Dynasty of China. It was kept in their kitchen without realising its potential appeal to collectors of Chinese antiques. The unique design of the vase attracted the attention of an expert in antiques, who found a six-character Qianlong seal mark on the base of the vase. This vase was sold at Dreweatts auction on 18 May 2022 for a hammer price of £1.2 million, according to the auction house. The final price reached £1,449,000 after adding the buyer's premium.An English surgeon bought the vase for a few hundred poundsDreweatts said an English surgeon bought the vase for a few hundred pounds in the 1980s. Newstead said the surgeon bought it simply because he liked how it looked. The family had no receipt, so the exact date and price of the purchase are not known. After the surgeon died, the vase passed to his son, who kept it in the kitchen of the family home in the English Midlands. The family knew nothing of its history. The porcelain was stored about 60 cm high, with a rich glaze and ornate gold and silver decoration. Cranes and bats decorated its globular body and slender neck, a shape known as tianqiuping, literally “heavenly globe”.Mark Newstead, a specialist consultant at Dreweatts, first saw the vase in the 1990s on a social visit to the family. He later recalled being surprised to find it in the kitchen and telling them it looked like something rather good. He didn't pick it up or inspect it, because that wouldn't have been appropriate for a guest.The Qianlong Mark connected the vase to 18th-century ChinaOn closer observation, the six-character seal mark was discovered on the bottom of the vase, belonging to the Qianlong emperor. This emperor was the ruler of China between 1735 and 1796 and belonged to the Qing dynasty. The mark assisted in establishing the connection between the vase and imperial porcelain from the time of this Emperor. According to Dreweatts, the item was an example of Qianlong period imperial porcelain. It was categorised as a blue-glazed, silver and gilt ‘Bat and Crane’ vase with tianqiuping form. It is also an example of the interest of the Qianlong emperor in Chinese ceramics and other historical artefacts.Decorations on the vase were also one of the reasons for its popularity. The vase was decorated with silver cranes, bearing symbols of the Eight Immortals of Daoism. Cranes and bats were depicted to express notions like longevity and good fortune, which were typical for the style preferred in the Qianlong court. Dreweatts highlighted the unusual pairing of gold decoration with slightly raised silver against the cobalt-blue glaze. It said a vase like this needed at least three kiln firings, one for each glaze and enamel: over 1200° C for the cobalt blue, then lower temperatures for the turquoise inside and the gold and silver enamels. It also knew of no other documented Tianqiuping decorated with this combination of gold and silver.Dreweatts estimated the vase at £100,000 to £150,000 After recognising its importance, Dreweatts prepared the vase for its Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art auction in Newbury, Berkshire. It puts an estimate of £100,000 to £150,000 on the vase, excluding fees. The sale took place on 18 May 2022, with bidders from China, Hong Kong, the USA and the UK taking part. Newstead said the international interest made for very competitive bidding. The vase was sold for a hammer price of £1.2 million, well above the estimated range. When the buyer's premium was considered, the vase sold for £1,449,000. An international buyer bought the vase by telephone. The official Dreweatts auction announcement records the vase’s Qianlong-period attribution, its distinctive decoration and its original auction estimate. Its Asian Art results also list the final sale price of £1,449,000.The vase’s earlier journey from China remains unknownThough the mark of the Qianlong determines the era of the vase, the previous ownership history is uncertain. There were no records of receipt or any documentation as to how the vase ended up in England from China.Dreweatts described the vase as being a piece made for the Qianlong Emperor's court. Furthermore, they believed that the size and design of the piece made it suitable for display in the Qing Dynasty Palace Hall. Still, that does not mean that the vase actually got displayed there or that the journey from China was documented. The difference between attribution and provenance of an object is significant. While the mark, along with the craftsmanship and design of the piece, helps to date a porcelain item, it does not tell the entire history of its ownership. For the surgeon’s family, the vase has been a family heirloom for many years. Its identification by an antique specialist revealed the connection to 18th-century imperial China, while an eventual auction sale turned a purchase worth a few hundred pounds into a £1,449,000 result.You use AI every day. Now get your AI Quotient. Take the AIQ test.