Last week, The Value received an exclusive leaked photo showing a Qing Imperial vase in Sotheby’s. What makes everyone so shocked is that the vase resembling another vase that almost sold for record-setting £53.1m in 2010. Is the same vase reappearing onto the market after eight years?
Sotheby’s has finally made an official announcement yesterday, presenting the Yamanaka reticulated vase which is going to lead the coming autumn auction. Contrary to the speculation in the art world, the current vase is not the exact one from the 2010 sale. This ‘brother vase’ comes from the collection of a Japanese collector.
The present vase (left) and the vase from the 2010 sale (right)
In 2010, a Qianlong Yangcai ‘Jiqingyouyu’ reticulated vase made debut at Bainbridge auction in the UK. It caused a huge sensation among art dealers and collectors after it was hammered down at £43m (£53.1m after premium), becoming the most expensive ceramic ever sold.
However, the buyer didn’t pay for the vase. The vase remained unsold until another collector bought it through a private deal in the late 2012 or early 2013. The amount has never been disclosed but it was reported to be up to £25m (about HK$300m at the time). It is even higher than the present record made by a Ru-ware brush washer from the Northern Song dynasty. The Ru-ware brush washer fetched HK$294m (about US$37.7m) at Sotheby's autumn auction last year and became the most expensive ceramic ever sold.
The Value has received a leaked photo featuring a vase similar to the one that almost sold for £53.1m in 2010
The Value has received a leaked photo featuring a vase similar to the one that almost sold for £53.1m in 2010
Last week, The Value received an exclusive leaked photo showing a Qing Imperial vase in Sotheby’s. It soon sparked heated debate in the art world as everyone was wondering if this is the record-smashing vase from the 2010 sale.
The auction house has sent out an official release, introducing the Yamanaka reticulated vase that was seen in the Sotheby’s office. The vase is, in fact, a ‘brother vase’ that pairs to the famous vase hammered at £43m in 2010.
According to the release, the vase was conceived by Tang Ying (1682-1756), the Superintendent of the Imperial Kilns in Jingdezhen. It was included in the 1905 Yamanaka Exhibition in New York and was later acquired by a private Japanese collector in 1924. It has since then been kept in the collection for almost a century.
The Yamanaka reticulated vase to be offered at Sotheby’s this autumn
Left: The vase from Sotheby’s has a border in turquoise ground around the shoulder
Right: The 2010 vase has a border in gold ground
The neck and foot of the outer vase are in yellow-ground yangcai, decorated with ruyi, fish, and floral patterns. The word ‘ji’, meaning ‘luck’, is placed at the centre of the neck. Qing, a standing bell, is a homophone of ‘celebration’.
The two vases are nearly identical except for a few differences. For example, the vase from Sotheby’s has a border in turquoise ground around the shoulder whereas the 2010 one has a border in gold ground.
We have interviewed Nicolas Chow, Chairman of Sotheby's Asia. He is going to talk about the provenance, craftsmanship and estimate of the vase. Please stay tuned!