In an unusual, and absolutely surprising, turn of events, a Chinese vase that was valued at less than $2,000 ended up being sold for nearly $9 million. The blue and white Tianqiuping vase fetched such a high price following a bidding war among collectors. The item went under the hammer at the Osenat auction house in Fontainebleau, France.
The official website of the auction house defines the piece as a “Large TIANQIUPING porcelain and polychrome enamel vase in the style of the blue-white with globular body and long cylindrical neck, decorated with nine fierce dragons and clouds (mark under the base).”
“The seller lives far away and didn’t even see the vase. She inherited it from her mother who in turn inherited it from her mother who was a big Paris collector in the last century,” Jean-Pierre Osenat, president of the auction house, told The Guardian.
The buyer of the vase is reportedly from China but is yet to be identified.. “From the moment the catalogue was published we saw there was enormous interest with more and more Chinese people coming to see the vase. Our expert still thinks it’s not old. The Chinese are passionate about their history and proud to take possession of their history,” Cédric Laborde, a director at Osenat, told The Guardian.