PAIR OF CHINESE VASES SELLS FOR £500,000

A PAIR OF CHINESE VASES ONCE USED AS ORNAMENTS IN A PENSIONERS' BEDROOM HAVE RECENTLY SOLD AT AUCTION FOR HALF A MILLION POUNDS. FOR YEARS THEY HAD BEEN LEFT SITTING ON A BEDROOM SHELF AND A NOT GIVEN A SECOND THOUGHT. THE QIANLONG DYNASTY PORCELAIN PIECES WERE GIVEN AS A WEDDING PRESENT BY THE OWNERS FATHER AND NO ONE KNEW THEIR TRUE VALUE. JUST 10 INCHES HIGH, THE IMPERIAL VASES HAD A PRE-SALE ESTIMATE OF BETWEEN £40,000 AND £60,000. BUT IN A HUSHED SALEROOM THEY SOLD FOR A TOTAL OF ALMOST £500,000 TO A FOREIGN BIDDER ON THE TELEPHONE. THE VASES WERE DISCOVERED BY CHANCE AFTER THE OWNERS INVITED AN ANTIQUE EXPERT TO THEIR MODEST HOME TO VALUE A FEW OTHER ITEMS. HE DECIDED TO TAKE A LOOK AROUND THE REST OF THE HOUSE AND IT WAS THEN THAT HE SPOTTED THE VASES PERCHED ON THE UPSTAIRS BEDROOM SHELF. THERE WAS SUCH A BUZZ ABOUT THE ITEMS THAT TEN PHONE LINES WERE SET UP FOR OVERSEAS BIDDERS IN ADDITION TO HUGE INTEREST IN THE ROOM AT DUKE'S AUCTION HOUSE IN DORCHESTER, DORSET. THE MARKET FOR CHINESE ITEMS OF HIGH QUALITY HAS BOOMED IN RECENT YEARS DUE TO THE INCREDIBLE GROWTH OF THE ECONOMY IN CHINA. SOME CHINESE ANTIQUES ARE WORTH MORE FIVE TIMES AS MUCH AS THEY WERE JUST THREE YEARS AGO. THESE PARTICULAR VASES, WHICH ARE HIGHLY DECORATED, WERE PROBABLY MADE AT THE PALACE WORKSHOPS DURING THE MID 18th CENTURY. THEY ARE IN THE TIBETAN STYLE IN BRIGHT COLOURS WITH THE VAJIXIANG, EIGHT BUDDHIST EMBLEMS, DIVIDED BY LOTUS FLOWERS. THE FLOWERS ARE SET AMONG SCROLLING, LEAFY TENDRILS ABOVE A BAND OF LAPPETS AND THE BOTTOM IS MARKED WITH THE SEAL OF QIANLONG. THE ANONYMOUS OWNERS, AFTER HEARING OF THE PRICE PAID FOR THEIR CASES, SAID: 'WE ARE ABSOLUTELY DELIGHTED AND ARE DEFINITELY GOING ON HOLIDAY. THIS HAS TRANSFORMED OUR RETIREMENT.'