Considered lost for decades, an exceptional rarity Chinese Ming Dynasty Cloisonne Box was a surprise hit at auction, selling for drawwatts in Berkshire, UK, for £288,000 ($358,000). It was expected to fetch just £6,000-£10,000 ($7,470-$12,460).
That’s a 2,880% increase over the high estimate, a mark-up of more than 1.5 million% over the £19 ($79) Edward Copleston Radcliffe paid at Sotheby’s in 1946.
The decorative box was made for Xuande, the fifth emperor of the Ming Dynasty (1426-1435), and his six-character reign mark is incised on its base. The enamel and wire design features lotus scrolls and gnarled gold branches with flowers and fruits, including two ripe pomegranates, a symbol of fertility and prosperity.
Radcliffe, a major who served in both World Wars, collected Chinese art for decades, owned an antique shop in London and was even a practicing artist in his own right.
Edward Copleston Radcliffe, whose collection of Chinese antiquities resulted in a white glove sale at Dreweatts. Photo courtesy of Dreweatts.
He loaned the circular pomegranate box to the National Gallery of South Africa for an exhibition of Chinese artefacts in 1953. It is believed to be just one of five such works, three of which are among institutional collections, including the Beijing Palace Museum.
But when Radcliffe died in 1953, his family forgot about the little antiquity. For decades it languished in the attic, gathering dust alongside other less valuable collectibles in a neglected cabinet.
Then the family was called Dreweatts. Auction specialists Mark Newstead and Yingwen immediately spotted the Xuande mark, but at first assumed it must be a later copy.
The Xuande mark on the Ming Dynasty Chinese cloisonne box sold by Dreweatts. Photo courtesy of Dreweatts.
“Cloisonne enamel pieces from the early Ming period are exceptionally rare because production was strictly regulated by the eunuchs of the Imperial Palace,” said Newstead, director of ceramics and Asian works of art at Dreweatts, in a statement. .
The presale estimate was based on the assumption that the work was made in the 17th century.
“It was only when my colleague, Yingwen Tao, was able to compare it with the example of Fenton House in London that we began to believe that it might be a ‘lost’ example of this rare group “, added Newstead. “We knew it would get global attention.”
Edward Copleston Radcliffe’s collection of Chinese antiques, seen here in a dusty attic, resulted in a white glove sale at Dreweatts. Photo courtesy of Dreweatts.
“It’s definitely a highlight of my career,” he said. “I’ll probably never see something as rare as this again, but never say never!”
A private collector in Asia beat eight other bidders over the phone to claim the winning bid.
The box was the top result of 87 lots from Radcliffe’s collection, all of which sold for a total of £947,000 ($1.18 million). Other highlights include a Qing Dynasty Translucent Jadeite Dish for £53,480 ($66,600), a Song Dynasty Celadon Ribbed Vase for £34,000 ($42,300) and a Song Dynasty Vase . Junyao dish for £22,000 ($27,400).
The collector paid between £7 ($29) and £42 ($174) for these treasures when he acquired them in the 1940s.
See more photos of the box and other auction lots below.
A rare Chinese cloisonné ‘pomegranate’ box and lid from the collection of Edward Copleston Radcliffe. Photo courtesy of Dreweatts.
A rare Chinese cloisonné ‘pomegranate’ box and lid from the collection of Edward Copleston Radcliffe. Photo courtesy of Dreweatts.
A rare Chinese cloisonné ‘pomegranate’ box and lid from the collection of Edward Copleston Radcliffe. Photo courtesy of Dreweatts.
A Song dynasty celadon ribbed vase from the collection of Edward Copleston Radcliffe sold for £34,000 ($42,300) at Dreweatts. Photo courtesy of Dreweatts.
A rare little Chinese Yaozhou Celadon ‘fish’ conical bowl from the collection of Edward Copleston Radcliffe sold for £24,000 ($29,900) at Dreweatts. Photo courtesy of Dreweatts.
A Chinese man Lanyao monochrome red bowl from the collection of Edward Copleston Radcliffe sold for £28,000 ($34,900) at Dreweatts. Photo courtesy of Dreweatts.
A translucent Qing dynasty jadeite dish from the collection of Edward Copleston Radcliffe sold for £53,480 ($66,600) at Dreweatts. Photo courtesy of Dreweatts.
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