Crazy bidder thriller regarding China porcelain |
1500 euro vase sold for NINE MILLION
First, second, third… SOLD!
And for an unbelievable 9.12 million euros (including all fees). A Chinese vase has now changed hands in France for a huge sum.
Crazy: The porcelain decorated with dragons and clouds (54 centimeters high, 49 centimeters in diameter) had a starting price of just 1500 euros.
Bitter bidding war of 30 people
The auction house Osenat had shown photos of the vase in the run-up to the auction. “From the moment we released the catalogue, we saw tremendous interest. More and more Chinese wanted to see the vase,” Cedric Labord, director of the auction house, told Le Parisien.
Around 400 people expressed interest. However, Osenat had to reduce the number of bidders to 30 people, all of whom had to pay a deposit. After all, 15 bidders were present at the auction house on Saturday, and just as many joined by telephone. When the price exceeded five million euros, ten people were still fighting a bitter war over porcelain.
Bottom line: The vase went for 7.7 million euros, plus around 1.4 million euros in fees.
Value of the vase unclear
It is unclear whether the object is worth anywhere near that much money! The auction expert is still certain that the work of art dates back to the 20th century and is therefore not uncommon. Interested parties, including the Chinese buyer, speculate that it is an 18th-century vase in the so-called Tianqiuping style. Or to put it in the words of Cedric Labord: “The market has spoken.”
How old and how much the vessel is actually worth is irrelevant to the former owner. The 59-year-old inherited the vase from her mother, an art collector. “She’s a simple woman who walks around in shorts and Crocs all day. It’s hard for her to believe she’s lived next to this insanely valuable object for over 30 years,” said Cedric Labord.
