It’s the kind of score thrift store shoppers dream of.
One lucky bargain hunter recently picked up an ancient pair of Chinese jars from a London charity shop for £20 (CA$33) only to learn they could fetch up to £50,000 (approx. CA$84,000) when they head to auction next week.
The jars date back to the 18th century Qing dynasty and are known as doucai lotus and chrysanthemum jars. Doucai is a porcelain painting technique where elements are outlined in blue before being glazed.
“They definitely have a presence that’s hard to explain,” Bill Forrest, associate director and head of Chinese, Japanese and southeast Asian art at auction house Roseberys, where the jars will be auctioned off, told CNN.
“A really good piece of imperial porcelain is so well manufactured, so well produced with such skill and care, that they kind of exude a presence.”
According to Artnet.com, the 4.5-inch tall vases would have been created in the Chinese imperial kilns of Jingdezhen, Jiangxi province and were based on a prototype that has since been lost. Several identically patterned jars have been found over time and are considered important artifacts.
“These jars are extremely well-potted and painted with great skill and finesse,” Forrest told Artnet. “Of course, charity shops can be forgiven for overlooking such specialized objects as these due to the volume and variety of donations they receive.”
The delicately painted jars are adorned with winding lotus leaves and blooming chrysanthemum heads, painted in vivid enamelled red, green and yellow.
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Forrest said that the seller, a “passionate collector” of ceramics, had no idea of the value of the jars but just “had to acquire them” from the thrift store.
“I think anyone who is in the presence of imperial Chinese porcelain, regardless of their experience, will feel drawn to them on some level,” Forrest said.
It was only after they researched the inscription on the bottom of the jars that they began to understand the value and approached Roseberys.
Because the jars are missing their lids and have some small hairline imperfections, they are expected to sell for less than what similar items have fetched in recent years. According to the auction listing, a pair sold at Sotheby’s London in 2021 for US$350,000 and another pair was purchased from Christie’s Hong Kong in 2013 for $782,000.
The jars will go to auction at Roseberys on May 16. The seller plans to donate “a significant portion” of the profits to the charity supported by the thrift store.