A Connecticut man paid $35 for a small blue-and-white porcelain bowl at a yard sale near New Haven in 2020, unaware that he had stumbled upon an exceptionally rare Chinese imperial-era artefact.
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he → pay → artefact
The unnamed antiques enthusiast suspected the bowl might be special and later sent photographs to Sotheby's for an evaluation.
uncertain
bowl → suspect → evaluation
Specialists identified it as a Ming dynasty bowl dating to the early 15th century, during the reign of the Yongle Emperor.
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Specialists → identify → Emperor
Only seven comparable bowls were known to exist, including the Connecticut discovery.
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bowls → know → discovery
Sotheby's initially estimated that it could sell for $300,000 to $500,000.
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it → estimate → 500,000
When the bowl went under the hammer in New York on March 17, 2021, it attracted 15 bids and eventually sold for $721,800, including fees.
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it → go → fees
A $35 find at a Connecticut yard sale
The discovery began at a yard sale in the New Haven area in 2020.
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discovery → begin → 2020
The buyer, whose identity was not disclosed, was an antiques enthusiast browsing the items when he noticed the small porcelain bowl.
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he → disclose → bowl
Unlike someone who simply stumbled across an object by chance, the buyer apparently had enough knowledge to suspect that the bowl could be valuable.
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bowl → stumble → knowledge
He paid the $35 asking price without haggling and took it home.
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He → pay → it
He later contacted Sotheby's and sent photographs of the piece, asking the auction house to assess it.
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He → contact → it
The decision to seek an expert opinion proved crucial.
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decision → seek → opinion
Sotheby's receives photographs and inquiries about potentially valuable objects regularly, but specialists Angela McAteer, head of the auction house's Chinese works of art department, and specialist Hang Yin recognised something unusual in the bowl.
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McAteer → receive → bowl
When they examined it in person, they determined that its shape, glaze, cobalt-blue decoration and other characteristics were consistent with early 15th-century Chinese porcelain.
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shape → examine → porcelain
Experts identify a Ming dynasty treasure
Sotheby's identified the object as an exceptional blue-and-white floral bowl from the Ming dynasty's Yongle period.
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Sotheby → identify → period
The Yongle Emperor ruled from 1403 to 1424, placing the bowl's production in the early 15th century.
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Emperor → rule → century
The bowl measures approximately 6¼ inches, or 16 centimetres, in diameter.
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bowl → measure → diameter
Its shape resembles a lotus bud or what is sometimes described as a chicken-heart form.
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what → resemble → form
The interior contains a central medallion and intricate floral and geometric decoration, while the exterior features four different flowers: lotus, peony, chrysanthemum and pomegranate.
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exterior → contain → flowers
Sotheby's described the piece as a quintessential example of Yongle-period porcelain made for the imperial court.
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Sotheby → describe → court
During the Yongle reign, the imperial kilns at Jingdezhen produced sophisticated blue-and-white porcelain, and the bowl reflects the distinctive craftsmanship and decorative style associated with that period.
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bowl → produce → period
Only seven comparable bowls were known
The bowl's age was only part of what made it remarkable.
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it → know → ?
Sotheby's specialists said that only six other comparable bowls were known to exist, making seven including the Connecticut example.
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bowls → say → example
Most were held by major museums and institutions rather than private American collections.
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Most → hold → collections
Known examples included bowls in collections associated with the National Palace Museum in Taipei, museums in London and the National Museum of Iran in Tehran.
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examples → know → Tehran
Sotheby's said there were no other examples of the type in US museums at the time.
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Sotheby → say → time
The fact that such a scarce imperial-era object had appeared at an ordinary Connecticut yard sale made its discovery particularly striking.
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discovery → appear → sale
How the bowl reached the sale was not known.
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reached → reach → sale
Sotheby's suggested that it may have passed through generations of a family that did not realise how unusual it was.
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it → suggest → family
Sotheby's estimates the bowl at up to $500,000
After authentication, Sotheby's prepared the bowl for its Important Chinese Art auction in New York.
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Sotheby → estimate → York
The auction house placed a presale estimate of $300,000 to $500,000.
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house → place → 500,000
That estimate represented an extraordinary jump from the $35 paid at the yard sale.
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estimate → represent → sale
The auction listing provided extensive details about the bowl's construction and decoration.
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listing → provide → construction
Sotheby's described its rich cobalt-blue painting, delicate floral motifs and distinctive shape, all of which helped specialists establish its relationship to Yongle-period imperial porcelain.
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specialists → describe → porcelain
Fifteen bids push the price beyond expectations
The bowl was offered at Sotheby's New York on March 17, 2021, as part of the auction house's Important Chinese Art sale during Asia Week.
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bowl → push → Week
Bidding quickly moved beyond the lower end of the estimate.
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Bidding → move → estimate
Contemporary reports said the auction attracted 15 bids, beginning at $200,000 from an online bidder.
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auction → say → bidder
The competition eventually pushed the hammer price to $580,000.
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competition → push → 580,000
After Sotheby's fees were added, the official price realised was $721,800.
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price → add → ?
Four bidders were reported to have competed for the bowl during the auction.
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bidders → report → auction
…and 14 more, not listed.
The Aporia
