A strange 15th-century Chinese porcelain bowl that somehow appeared in a garage sale in which it was sold for just $ 35 was purchased Wednesday at auction for nearly $ 722,000.
The small white bowl adorned with flowers and other designs painted cobalt blue – a barely seven existence known – was among several Chinese pieces of art auctioned by Sotheby’s as part of its week of Asian events. The names of the seller and buyer were not disclosed.
Sotheby’s had estimated the value of the artifact at between $ 300,000 and $ 500,000. Wednesday’s auction began with a $ 200,000 bid made online and ended with another $ 580,000 made by a bidder over the phone. The official price, including premiums and installments, was $ 721,800.
An antiques enthusiast stumbled upon the piece from the Ming Dynasty era and thought it might be something special when he found it by chance at a garage sale in the New Haven area. last year, according to Sotheby’s. The buyer then sent information and photos to the auctioneer via email requesting an evaluation.
“It was immediately apparent … that we were facing something very, very special,” Angela McAteer, senior vice president and director of Sotheby’s Department of Chinese Pieces of Art, told AP. “The style of painting, the shape of the bowl, even the color of blue is quite characteristic of this early period of early 15th century porcelain.”
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Sotheby’s confirmed that it was from the 1400s when they could see it in person – no scientific evidence was required, only trained eye and the hand of specialists. The bowl was very smooth to the touch, its silky varnish and the distinctive color and designs of the period.
It dates from the era of Emperor Yongle, the third ruler of the Ming Dynasty, and was manufactured by the Yongle court. Yongle Court is known to have marked the beginning of a new style of porcelain kilns in Jingdezhen City, and the bowl is a quintessential Yongle product, according to Sotheby’s.
It has the shape of a lotus cocoon or chicken heart. Inside, it is decorated with a medallion in the background and a quadrifolio surrounded by flowers. Outside it has four lotus flowers, peonies, chrysanthemums and pomegranates. It also has intricate patterns at the top, both internal and external.
McAteer said only six of these bowls are known, and most are in museums. No one else is in the United States. There are two in the National Palace Museum in Taipei, Taiwan, two in museums in London and one in the National Museum of Iran in Tehran, according to the auction house.
It’s a mystery how the bowl ended up in a Connecticut garage sale. McAteer said it may have been passed down from generation to generation in a family that had no idea of its value.