A man-size antique Japanese vase – found in a Midlands bungalow – has sold for thousands of pounds.
The Japanese cloisonne vase, which is 5ft 8ins tall, was found in the lounge of a bungalow in Loughborough, Leicestershire, during a routine home visit.
The vase, which is nearly as tall as the man who found it, Adrian Rathbone, associate director of Hansons Auctioneers in Derbyshire – a six-footer – sold for a hammer price of £9,500 at Hansons Auctioneers on August 19.
Mr Rathbone said: “It’s a wonderful result and I’m delighted for our vendor. I received a call one day from the owner requesting a vase valuation. I asked if they could pop over to our auction centre with it but they said it was a bit too big.
“I arranged to go over to value it at their home and was amazed when I saw it. It really is huge. It’s also exceptional in terms of quality. It’s an exhibition size Japanese cloisonne vase from the Meiji period dating back to between 1868-1912. It’s decorated with six doves perched among cherry blossom on a plain black ground. It’s 177cm tall (5ft 8ins) and 44cm wide.
“It’s extraordinary to find something like this in an average-sized home. It’s a rare object. The Meiji period is widely regarded as the heyday of the finest Japanese works of art. It belonged to the owner’s late mother who bought it at a country house sale in the 1950s.”
The Japanese cloisonne vase was sold on August 19 in Hansons’ Antiques and Collectors Auction at its saleroom in Etwall, Derbyshire.
To arrange a free valuation of fine art objects, email: [email protected] Items are invited for Hansons’ Autumn Fine Art Auction.
