A pair of Chinese vases bought at auction 80 years ago are once more going under the hammer in Banbury – expected to make £1,000.
Eileen Hancock was 14 in 1947 when her dad Leonard Barker brought the vases at a country house sale in Oxford.
Now 92, she said: “I’m not sure why he bought them. He wasn’t a collector or dealer, and I think he just liked them. I don’t know what he paid for them but, knowing my dad he would have got them for a good price.”
The pair is expected to make £800-£1,000 when it appears on the rostrum at Banbury-based auctioneers Holloways on April 15.
A poignant black-and-white photo dates from the day he brought the pair home showing Eileen’s sister Vera and her husband Michael laughing in the foreground.
Her brother Ronnie stands in the background carefully holding one of the vases.
Eileen continued: “They were all just really excited, and larking about. I was only a girl at the time, so I really can’t really remember much about it.”
The picture is even more heartfelt because now all three in the shot have passed away.
After Eileen’s mum Edith died in 1994, she took ownership of the vases, dated to 1900 and almost half a metre tall, keeping them on the sideboard of her Chipping Norton home.
She said: “I don’t know how much longer I’ve got left and I don’t want them to get chucked away or lost. I would prefer them to go to someone who can cherish them as I have done.”
Holloways’ director, Jasper Marsh, said: “My job is all about memories – making new ones and remembering old ones. That wonderful 1940s photo of Eileen’s family with her brother Ronnie cradling the vase brings it to life like nothing else. We are delighted and proud to be selling the vases and sending them on their next chapter.”
Both vases are decorated in the traditional Chinese blue and white style, featuring cobalt blue pigment applied under a clear glaze.
Jasper continued: “The market for Asian art is very buoyant at the moment so we are hopeful they will do well.”
Auction Details
Auction: The Banbury Fine Jewellery, Silver, Fine Art & Antiques Auction
Auction date: 15th April 2026 | 10am
Location: Hansons’ Derbyshire Saleroom
Auction contact: [email protected]
Catalogue/bidding: www.hansonslive.co.uk | www.the-saleroom.com
