Last month, Sotheby's announced the sale of an extremely rare Chinese bowl discovered by an antiques lover who had acquired it in a garage sale in Connecticut for $35. The white bowl adorned with cobalt blue flowers, photos of which had been sent to Sotheby's experts (Angela McAteer and Hang Yin) for appraisal, was then carefully analyzed and identified as a work dated to the beginning of the Ming dynasty.
The small bowl, about 16 centimeters in diameter, was made for the third emperor of the Chinese Ming Dynasty, Yongle (1360-1424). The Yongle court is famous for introducing an immediately recognizable porcelain style that, according to historians, has never been surpassed.
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Experts at Sotheby's claimed that this incredible find was one of just seven such bowls known to the world (the other six being kept in museums), and the only one in existence in the United States. Presented at auction in New York in March 2021 with an estimate between $300,000-500,000, the artifact sparked a bidding battle between four collectors and sold for $721,800, fees included.
Pontus Silfverstolpe, antiques expert and founder of Barnebys, said, "A sale like this gives life to the entire industry and shows that expertise pays off, especially for all of us flea market hunters who dream of the 'perfect find'."
