There is no doubt that antiques leave us amazed at every sight. Be it the product itself or the engraved carvings upon it. Be it the material they are made of or be it the history that resides behind it, just everything about Antiques is interesting. There is a reason we call them the rare artifacts. These are precious collectibles and are worth heavy dollars.
Who knows what all a piece of artwork holds behind it. Some of the most expensive and delicate pieces of work have been found in the most unexpected places. Their history is even more incredible. Even if antiques doesn't excite you, this story will surely make you give them a thought...
This woman stumbled upon a mysterious vase and the price for which it was sold at an auction would leave you flabbergasted.
Recently a woman undertook the possession of this French home. She shifted to this new property around the cool breezed springs. The house originally belonged to another woman who was living here with her grandparents. All the belongings in the house were of the ex-owners. As the woman stepped in she started with cleaning the entire space. She would unpack various stuff kept in there. It was then when she found something suspicious...
As she carried out the cleaning and dusting of the house she came across different and old showpieces owned by the initial inheritors. Some amazed her and some were directly thrown to the garbage. She goes to the attic and found an old shoebox. She randomly opens the box to find something which shocks her for a while. What was there in the box in the attic?
The box had a vase. It was a magnificent vase with elaborate patterns and carvings. Just after a glance at the vase, someone could easily say that the vase must have had a royal and rich history. It is believed that this vase was inherited by the initial owner's grandparents from their uncle who passed away in the year 1947. Despite being this splendid in the appearance, the vase failed to impress the woman and she did not pay much attention to it.
After the vase made a striking history in the near future, the woman in an interview with BBC channel proclaimed that she did not like the vase at all. She had no liking towards the antiques, she never admired such pieces. But after the money this vase fetched her, she started paying keen attention to such stuff before throwing them away. Well, not only this vase but there was a grand collection which the dead uncle left behind that unimpressed the new inheritors...
Surprisingly, not only the vase was left behind, but there was a vast collection of desirable antiques. There were dragon robes, Chinese porcelains and some finest of the peculiar bronze mirrors. These were a part of the same collection which probably belonged to the famous art collector Ernest Grandidier. But it was all of no use to the woman. Then what did she do next? Did a random collectible lover bought it for a good fortune?
What the lady did next was quite intelligent of her. Though she was least impressed by the antiques, she still sought help from an expert. After all, they were Antiques and one never knows, what they can bring to you. Isn't it? Maybe the lady thought that these pieces could make her shift to the new home a fortunate one. Whatever it might have been, at least she thought of consulting someone before discarding the antiques...
The lady contacted Nicolas Chow who is the Chairman of Chinese works of art at Sotheby’s. He recalls the day when the lady called his colleague in Paris and told him about the vase. Chow in an interview said, " She said, the vase had been lying in an attic for some couple of decades and she wants to know about it and would like to offer the same for an auction table".
Were the experts able to link the history with this mysterious vase?
The lady readily traveled to The Sotheby's situated in Paris. She carried the vase in the same shoebox wrapped in the newspapers. She took a train followed by two metros and finally made her move into the Sotheby's quarters. Sotheby's was one of the most prestigious auction houses in the world. There she met Olivier Valmier who took the vase and carried on with his work. He closely had a look at the vase and was taken aback by the beauty the lady handed him over. What made Mr. Olivier this surprised? Was it only the beauty of the vase or something more?
Olivier Valmier was an experienced specialist in Asian arts at the auction house. Just a glimpse of at the vase made him sure that it was not only something antique but was extraordinary. The precision with which the vase was carved with paintings was remarkable. Oliver says," As the lady placed the vase on the desk in front of us, I and the entire team was literally blown away with its beautification". This was not all, it had an even interesting story behind its creation...
These experts look for various marks on the piece of art to find their potential history. Valmier knew this splendid piece was surely unique. The use of a typical form of paint colors, the accessories made it intricate. Valmier thought that this artwork could be from Caravaggio's era, and if it is so, it will make a history in the auction house. But then he noticed a weird mark. He was dubious about its presence. But then this mark changed the entire history of this vase. What could it be?
Knowing the era from which the vase belongs is directly proportionate to its worth. After thoroughly looking at the vase, Oliver could locate a mark at the bottom base of the vase. It appeared like a QR code but was something relatable to a mark of Chinese Calligraphy. After a close inspection of the mark, Oliver could decipher it. And the results regarding the Chinese era to which it belonged will astonish you...
Valmier undertook a considerable amount of research before drawing the conclusion about the vase's history. Finally, he concluded that the Chinese vase belonged to the era of the Qianlong Emperor. Which probably meant that it was a 220-year-old piece of work. Wow! Who knew a shoebox in attic dates back to the 18th century. It was an amazing realization.
Not only this, since the emperor's rule ended near 1912, this vase was made around some 1735-1796 and was gracing his ancient palace. The lady found a historic piece...
Everyone at Sotheby's named the vase as an "absolute perfection". Pine trees, deer, and cranes formed the centerpiece of this vase makes it magnificent. Not only this, the background had waterfalls and scenic landscapes. The use of bright colors makes it even praiseworthy piece of work. After knowing all these facts, the very obvious question arose. What would be its original value?
The lady handed over the vase to the Sotheby's some months ago. Meanwhile, Oliver Valmier could connect the history of the vase with its original value. After a close inspection, Sotheby's decided to put this masterpiece at auction. The vase due to its ancient history originally valued between $588,000 and $823,000. Wooh! That's just unbelievable. It was Exorbitant.
All eyes were on the auction now. Even if the auction could serve half this amount, it surely would be a delight to the lady. But, the price for which it was sold was no less than breath-taking...
The bidders went mad on listening to the vase's incredible past. Everyone present there wanted to own it. The original value of the Chinese Vase was shattered in seconds. Bidders were ready to pay any amount to own this vase. There came a point in the auction when everyone thought that the bidding for this masterpiece would never end...
The bidding process took various twists and turns. The lady was extremely enthusiastic about the price the highest bidder at the auction owns her. There was a time when the vase was almost on the verge of being sold. A bidder was ready to pay $1 million. All eyes were stuck to the bidding hammer. And as the auctioneer said one, two; the lady's jaw dropped. But before the hammer hit a three, something even better happened...
Another bidder stood up and offered a value of $ 10 million. Everyone was looking at this man, now. Who could increase the bidding amount to such a number that too in a single go? $10 million was a mammoth amount for a vase. Nevertheless, it seems as if the vase was not satisfied with the values the bidders offered. A bidding war took place between these two bidders who desperately wished to own this Antique...
The Sotheby's also got excited and before the individuals could give over this vase they disclosed some even more interesting facts about this Chinese Vase, to take the auction at another level...
Till yet everyone was only impressed by the beauty of this vase, but the facts about the emperor Qianlong were, even more impressive. With every part of this vase unfolding, the price of this vase touched higher heights. This emperor, unlike others, had immense love for the varied form of arts. He was passionate not only about his own culture, but other cultures also admired him. He took inspiration from foreign civilization and this blocks together the reason as to why was this vase made...
A very vague conclusion drawn was that the Emperor must have got it made from someone for his birthday. Early empires have witnessed situations where the Kings used to gift them rare stuff to show their edge over other kings. This Chinese Vase too was one amongst the most valued item by the aristocrats. Qianlong gifted himself this for his 44th birthday. As more facts about the vase were being laid, the lady's inquisitiveness in the vase and in its worth increased...
One of the biggest question which every mind at the Sotheby's had was, who constructed this beautiful masterpiece? Who was the man behind it? A strong possibility was that the Italian Jesuit missionary Giuseppe Castiglione made it. This missionary served as an artist for three consecutive emperors-Kangxi, Yongzheng, and Qianlong. His work surely left everyone curious till the time...
These facts further heated up the war between the bidders and the next what took place was amazing...
Both the bidders were increasing their bids with a million dollar every time. An eleven million dollar followed by twelve, thirteen and so on... The Sotheby's had never witnessed such an auction round in its life yet. The bid increased with every breath of the respective bidders. Finally, the hammer hits down and the amount for which the vase was sold blew the audience away...
Who would have even thought that the bidders at an auction would be so astonished by the rich and royal history of an artifact, that they would be ready to spend millions over it? Well, that's true for this Yangcai Chinese Vase. The vase which was lying asleep in an attic for a couple of decades and was not able to impress its possessors even after it's splendid appearance was sold for $19 million dollars.
What A Price! The new home definitely served it's owner a good fortune, rather the fortune which none could even imagine. Her luck did not stop here. The other collectibles she found along with the vase were too sold for a good price...
Not only was the vase a history but it even created a history at Sotheby's Paris. After an extensive bidding round of some 30 minutes, the Sotheby's sold it's most valued artifact. No other collectible in the history of Sotheby's ever broke the records to this extent. The value for which the vase was sold was some hundred times or even more than its actual value.
Who was this bidder, who paid such a heavy amount for a Vase?
Of course, everyone was interested in knowing the man who paid such exorbitantly high price for this Historical Chinese Vase. It must have been an Emperor himself who owns billions under his empire. Or maybe he was a Russian Billionaire. However, the Sotheby's decided to keep the real identity of this bidder under covers. All that one knows is that he was bidder number 217.
Surely, this man saw something beyond what Oliver Valmier saw in this Chinese Vase. But what was that?
The vase was covered in symbols. And each symbol depicted an aspect of the Qianlong empire. Every symbol held a history and symbolizes something. The deer and cranes were symbolic of health and longevity. The deer was also a symbol of success and happiness. The lingzhi mushrooms were a blatant symbol of immortality.
Definitely, the bidder number 217 knew a lot more about the vase.
It was for sure that this Chinese Vase from Qianlong Empire was a rare artifact. As per Sotheby's records, only a few Vases like these were made then and the majority of those handful vases are kept in Chinese Museum. This was an incredible piece of artwork with such intricate designs. However, another vase quite similar to this one is located in France and is believed to have a connection with this one.
How the vase came to be known as Yangcai, is an interesting one. The members at Sotheby's thought that this vase was created by Giuseppe Castiglione due to the similarities it had with other vases located at France which were made by Castiglione itself. This vase is a part of the prestigious Ernest Grandidier collection. The vase is termed as Yangcai or auspicious deer because of the deer painted on these. With these many significances attached to the vase, it had to be worth those dollars.
While people were already not able to wrap their heads around the astonishing history of the Chinese Vase, another thought struck them. Were the official inheritor's that is the grandparents, not aware of the significance of this vase? Surely, they were not. Else who would leave behind the vase which was no less than the "hen fetching you with gold eggs". Surely, if they were witnessing this auction they would be regretting and cursing their destiny.
Another collectible item which was sold at the auction was the bronze mirror cased in a lacquer box. The exact origin of this piece could however not be discovered but still, it was sold for a good amount. No, not as high as the Chinese Vase. But it was sold for a price twenty times more than its actual price. It was sold for $180,000 USD.
The lady was surely dancing in the raining dollars...
The auction which marked the sale of the Antique Chinese Vase was so successful that Olivier Valmier published the entire auction story online. In fact, nearly 90 percent of the 27 antiques at the auction were sold for a prize more than their actual value. Not only did the vase made a history, but all the other items at auction were sold to the bidders in some form or the other. It was one of the best auction that Sotheby's ever witnessed.
This vase was not only a fortunate one for the woman, but also for Olivier Valmier. Not that he got some dollars from the highest bidder, but because this was a path-breaking achievement in his career. He is now the Deputy Director For Asian Arts Specialists at the Sotheby's. The auction of the Chinese Vase surely made a huge impact on the Sotheby's name and for its members.
No, not exactly is this a gold bowl. But, after knowing the amount it fetched will surely compel you to call it one. In 2017, The Song Dynasty Bowl which was over a thousand years old was sold for a staggering amount of $37.7 million. This bowl was surprisingly used for storing calligraphy brushes. It was pure ceramic.
In the year 2010, another vase could have made history at the Sotheby's, but not all days are that good after all. This vase was sold for $57 million. No, don't be that surprised as this vase laid in the not-collected pile of the auction for over two years. This vase also belonged to the Qianlong's Era but the bidder was not able to pay the amount he bid for the vase. It became one of the controversial vases due to its lost bidder. The auctioneer Peter Bainbridge, tried to close the case but had to wait quite long for the same...
The auctioneer Peter Bainbridge could finally close the case of the controversial vase. Though later it wasn't sold for the same price, still Peter managed to sell it for a pretty good amount. It was sold for $26 million. After lying like that for almost two years, the Qianlong's Empire creation got its owner.
Chinese Vases and other antiques were a big success at the Sotheby's. They hope to bid other such vases if any. Surely they will be money vending machine. So make sure the next time you clean your attic, you look closely at the stuff. Do consult an expert before discarding anything. Maybe they might fetch you also with tons of money...