A giant exhibition vase – as tall as a man and worth tens of thousands of pounds – has been discovered in a modest Midlands home.
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.
It’s nearly as tall as the man who found it, Adrian Rathbone, associate director of Hansons Auctioneers in Derbyshire – a six-footer.
He said: “I received a call one day from a client 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 so special and rare it’s been entered into our Summer Fine Art Auction with an estimate of £30,000-£50,000. The owner thought it might be worth a few thousand but not as much as that. 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. Anyone looking for a showstopper object or keen collectors of Japanese ceramics will be interested in this.”
The Japanese cloisonne vase will be sold on July 5 in Hansons’ Summer Fine Art Auction at Bishton Hall, Wolseley Bridge, Staffordshire. Entries are invited for Hansons’ October Fine Art Auction. To find out more or to arrange a free valuation, email [email protected].
Hansons offers free valuations in the privacy of your home as well as house clearance and downsizing advice. To find out more, call 01283 733988.
