Chinese art and artifacts have started asserting their importance in auctions worldwide. The Chinese economy is moving steadily towards becoming the largest economy of the world in the coming two to three years. The growing economic clout is evident in the auctions as Chinese collectors have a natural bias for Chinese art. The Chinese Art Auctions 2012 and the Bonhams Asian Art Auction in San Francisco received enthusiastic response and realized record prices. More and more rare pieces of Chinese origin are making their way to international auctions. The latest such article is a rare Song dynasty bowl which beat its pre sales estimate of $200,000 to $300,000 ten times over to fetch a whopping $2.22 million at a Sotheby’s auction in New York.
The Bowl was Bought at a Garage Sale for Mere $3
There is an interesting story about this bowl. It was discovered in a garage sale and bought for mere $3 as the family owning it never knew its true worth. The new owners of the bowl suspected that it was a rare artifact and took it to experts at Sotheby’s who realized its true worth and decided to put it up for auction. It has become another milestone in the growing demand for Chinese arts and artifacts backed by big bucks. It has become a definite trend with a Chinese coin fetching $1 million at the World Coin Auction and the rare Li Keran painting selling for $46 million at the Beijing Poly Springs auctions.
The Bowl From Song Dynasty is 1,000 Years Old
The rare bowl Northern Song Dynasty is estimated to be about 1,000 years old. It has an even ivory colored glaze and features some intricate carving in the interior with scrolling leafy lotus sprays. The exterior of the bowl with a 5.38 inch diameter is also carved and molded with three rows of overlapping upright leaves with characteristic teardrops at the base. The foot rim of the bowl is purposefully left unglazed to showcase the fine compact body beneath. A similar bowl is on display at the British Museum in London for over sixty years now. But more such rare and valuable articles are sure to make their way to important auctions as the owners realize their true worth.
