Extraordinary Journey for Oriental Vase
July 2022
The appeal of beautiful Oriental antiques continues to gather momentum and auctioneers Greenslade Taylor Hunt are delighted to report another successful set of figures for vendors at the Taunton auction room.
An impressive £2,000 was notched up for an intricately decorated ovoid shaped Chinese porcelain vase.
The relief featured a dragon and bat around the rim. The body of the vase had three roundels depicting phoenix and there were gilt embellishments overall. There was a Yongzheng type seal mark to base, together with hardwood stand.
Although the vase was a little grubby, it had no chips or cracks and the gilding was intact. The vase and stand were both in good condition. This helped see the price climb to achieve the top spot of the day.
The vase had taken an immense journey from its original home in China to land up at The Octagon Salerooms, East Reach, Taunton.
It originally belonged to Yorkshireman, Lewis Kershaw, who headed out to teach in Shanghai in the midst of World War I on December 24, 1915.
He married there and had a family, returning to Britain as World War II loomed. He had an eye for Oriental ornaments and filled his home with many examples.
Tragically both his sons were killed in the war and his daughter, a science teacher, never married. She died recently and with no family to inherit the array of heirlooms many found there way to the Taunton saleroom.
A good condition Chinese porcelain sang de bouef/celadon glaze porcelain vase, again of ovoid form, sold for £1,300. A Chinese porcelain leaf shaped bowl went for £950 and a Japanese porcelain vase sold for £700.
A Chinese hardwood tray to mark Mr Kershaw’s appointment as headmaster at Nieh Chih Kuei Public School on June 1, 1932, was among the family archive and sold for £280.
More items from this extraordinary family collection are expected in forthcoming sales. The next sale takes place on Thursday, August 4, from 10am. For full details please contact the salerooms on 01823 332525.
An impressive £2,000 was notched up for an intricately decorated ovoid shaped Chinese porcelain vase.
The relief featured a dragon and bat around the rim. The body of the vase had three roundels depicting phoenix and there were gilt embellishments overall. There was a Yongzheng type seal mark to base, together with hardwood stand.
Although the vase was a little grubby, it had no chips or cracks and the gilding was intact. The vase and stand were both in good condition. This helped see the price climb to achieve the top spot of the day.
The vase had taken an immense journey from its original home in China to land up at The Octagon Salerooms, East Reach, Taunton.
It originally belonged to Yorkshireman, Lewis Kershaw, who headed out to teach in Shanghai in the midst of World War I on December 24, 1915.
He married there and had a family, returning to Britain as World War II loomed. He had an eye for Oriental ornaments and filled his home with many examples.
Tragically both his sons were killed in the war and his daughter, a science teacher, never married. She died recently and with no family to inherit the array of heirlooms many found there way to the Taunton saleroom.
A good condition Chinese porcelain sang de bouef/celadon glaze porcelain vase, again of ovoid form, sold for £1,300. A Chinese porcelain leaf shaped bowl went for £950 and a Japanese porcelain vase sold for £700.
A Chinese hardwood tray to mark Mr Kershaw’s appointment as headmaster at Nieh Chih Kuei Public School on June 1, 1932, was among the family archive and sold for £280.
More items from this extraordinary family collection are expected in forthcoming sales. The next sale takes place on Thursday, August 4, from 10am. For full details please contact the salerooms on 01823 332525.