Hopes Chinese dish could serve up £100K

A centuries-old Chinese dish found on a sideboard could fetch over its pre-sale estimate of £100,000 when it comes up for auction this week in London, despite the chip on its rim.

Yongzheng blue and white dish at Hansons auctions

Auction house Hansons owner, Charles Hanson, explained, “I found the dish recently. It was languishing on a sideboard in a London home along with various 19th-century Japanese ceramics.”

The Chinese blue ground reverse and slip decorated floral dish carries the Chinese Yongzheng mark of the period 1723-1735. It’s decorated with gardenia flowers on leafy branches.

Charles Hanson inspects the Yongzheng dishCharles said, “Its striking reverse decoration with raised slip detailing is inspired by the Ming and Yuan ceramics of the preceding dynasties. Similar examples are held by major museums around the world including the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York and the Nezu Museum in Tokyo.”

He said that the dish was pulling in much interest from China, with potential bidders looking to restore the item to its homeland.

“It’s a remarkable find. The vendor had no idea of its potential value. The object was purchased from a country house sale in the 1920s. Interest has reached boiling point this week – the eve of the auction. We’ve had huge interest from potential buyers in China who are keen to find out more or bid.”

Hansons sold a similar antique Chinese dish with a matching auction estimate for £230,000 last autumn at its sister saleroom in Derbyshire.

The sale takes place on September 8.

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