Trinkets, and tchotchkes and baubles, oh my! I love the scene from the “Little Mermaid” when Ariel takes us on a tour through all of her underwater treasures. Dinglehopper, anyone? Or a snarfblatt or thingamabob? There are so many gizmos and gadgets in this world, it’s impossible to know everything about every item. Same with art. Just like Ariel, if you don’t really know what it is, it’s just junk that’s pretty to look at.
But once someone sheds a little light for you (a dinglehopper is a fork; a snarfblatt is a pipe, and a thingamabob is a corkscrew), suddenly all the junk has value. And on the rare occasion that particular piece found at a flea market or handed down to you from your favorite aunt can be worth more than you ever dreamed of.
Take this bowl for example. It’s short, wide and made of porcelain. It’s a light mint green with a protruding saw-tooth cut design on the outside, and a beige carved out floral pattern on the inside. Nothing too flashy. Nothing that screams ancient royal Chinese dynasty. A woman bought it for a mere $3 dollars at a garage sale in New York state, and then it sat on her mantlepiece for years. It was only when an expert made a comment about its value that the piece underwent further scrutiny.
Fast forward to an auction at Sotheby’s where the piece was sold for a staggering 2.2 million dollars. It dates back to the late 10th, early 11th century (over 1000 years ago!), from northern China, around the time when they started carving bowls and embellishing both the inside and outside – making this piece even rarer. There is only one more in existence and it’s in the British Museum.
Of the piece, the auctioneer comments when he knew he had something special on his hands. “The moment the box lid was opened, I knew that I was looking at something that was completely special….it’s virtually unique in my experience.” This find is very much out of the blue but appears to be from the same kiln and workshop as the one in the UK, further proving its rarity and authenticity.
The family has chosen to remain anonymous throughout the auction, but their reaction is just like anyone. The auctioneer says that when he got back to his desk, he got an email that said “WOW” in capital letters, followed by “WOW” again, followed by a line of exclamation marks. Yep, sounds about right.
Click on the video below to learn more about this incredible discovery.
