A vessel I bought for 40,000 won in a used transaction… Turns out, 500 million Ming Dynasty ceramics

Input 2021.02.26 07:31

A small porcelain bowl sold for $35 (about 40,000 won) in a second-hand transaction in Connecticut in the United States turned out to be a Chinese antique that is over 600 years old.

According to CNN on the 24th (local time), the antique will be exhibited at Sotheby’s New York auction next month. The expected auction price is from a minimum of $300,000 (about 335 million won) to a maximum of $500,000 (about 555 million won).

The unidentified owner discovered the pottery last year at a “yard sale” in a house near New Haven, Connecticut, selling used items in the yard. On ceramics, lotus flowers, peonies, chrysanthemums, and pomegranate flowers were painted. Shortly after he bought the vessel for $35, he contacted Sotheby’s to give it an appraisal. At the same time, he said he left an opinion that it was “a historically important object.”

As a result of expert appraisal, it was judged that this pottery was commissioned by the Chinese imperial family in the 15th century during the Ming Dynasty. Specifically, it is estimated to have been made between 1403 and 1424.

“You can see an incredibly smooth body and soft glaze,” said Angela McArtier, head of the Chinese art division of Sotheby’s.

According to Sotheby’s, there are only six pieces of antiques similar to this ceramic in the world. It is housed in the National Palace Museum in Taiwan, the British Museum in London, England, and the Victoria and Albert Museum.