All The Tea In China
How do you value a rare Chinese vase which dates back to the Qing dynasty in the 18th Century? With a lot of difficulty if the 23cm, double gourd vase which was recently auctioned in Durrow, County Laois in Ireland is anything to go by. For the vase, which had been valued at 1,200 euros, ended up being sold for almost three quarters of a million euros at auction. Such was the interest in the item that a bidding war was triggered among collectors from over 40 countries as they battled to get their hands on the vase. Eventually a French bidder emerged victorious but not after paying what the auctioneers at Sheppard’s believe is the highest ever price for a work of art at an auction in Ireland. You could call it a Qing’s ransom.