Auctions have been galore especially since the global economic hit came in. We had a gem-encrusted rug go for a whopping $5 million while the skeleton mount of a Jurassic dinosaur is up for auction, and so is the case with Syzk Haggadah. Yet, another addition to this list of extraordinary works of art and history is the tortoiseshell vanity box that belongs to the Tang Dynasty.
Being auctioned off at Sotheby’s Hong Kong branch pretty soon (we hear April 8 may be the D-day), this artifact is expected to fetch somewhere close to $5 million, which is a rather downward price to keep pace with the falling financial abilities.
The vanity box measures up to a foot across and is decorated with flowers made in mother-of-pearl and amber. The famous mature style of the High Tang period from the mid-8th century is evident. With so much history behind its creation, the vanity box also enjoys being one of the three vanity boxes originally preserved in the ShÅsÅin compound of the Great Eastern Temple in Nara.
Via bbs
