Chinese vase for sale at a fantastic price at a French auction
The owner of a Chinese vase was not expected to sell for more than 9 million euros at an auction in France, as its price was initially estimated at two thousand.
This vase was offered for sale among a group of different pieces of furniture and artifacts in an auction held by the house "Ozna" in Fontainebleau, near Paris, according to what the auction house said on Saturday.
Cedric Laborde, director of the Ozna Art Department, told AFP that the owner of the vase, who lives in a French overseas territory, "inherited it from her mother, who inherited it herself from her mother, who was a great collector of Parisian masterpieces in the twentieth century."
The piece was part of the property left by the seller's mother when she died in her flat in Saint-Briac-sur-Mer on the Brittany coast.
Auctioneer Jean-Pierre Ouzna said the daughter: "She was so far away that she didn't even see the vase, and I took it to Paris, it's a crazy story."
This blue and white Tianqiuping vase made of porcelain and vitreous enamel, decorated with dragons and clouds, is 54 centimeters long and 40 centimeters in diameter.
Experts estimated its initial price at between 1,500 and 2,000 euros, but the buyer got it for 7.7 million euros, or 9,121 million euros, including expenses and fees.
The importance of the vase is related to the era to which it belongs. If it is from the twentieth century, as experts thought, it is considered a relatively ordinary piece of little importance, but if it is from the eighteenth century, it is considered a very rare piece, which justifies the price at which it was sold.
"We noticed after we published the list of items for sale that there was a lot of interest (in the vase), as the Chinese were coming in droves to see it, and the expert kept confirming that he did not think it was old," Laborde said.
Between 20 and 30 bidders competed for the item during the auction, most of them over the phone, while a few were present.
The buyer turned out to be Chinese, and Laborde noted that "the Chinese are passionate about their history and are proud of their heritage."
"I think that this vase is not a piece that is hidden from view, but rather it should be displayed in a museum," he added.
As for the owner of the vase, she was astonished by what happened. "She could have sold it to the local antiques dealer," Laborde said. "It's a wonderful story for this lady, and for our work, for the principle of public auctions."
