An Antiques Roadshow expert left one awestruck guest reeling after her simple rice bowl and dish were valued at an unexpected grand price.
In the episode, a savvy pensioner brought along a small rice bowl and plate, keen to know their value, with expert Lark E Mason ready to help. She shared the story behind the items, telling the audience: “It belonged to my mother-in-law and my father-in-law. My father-in-law was the first consul general for the new country of the Republic of Korea in New York City.”
She went on to share her own connection to the duo saying, “I don’t know how it came into their possession but they gave it to my husband and when he died he left it to me.” Giving her own take on the pieces she added: “My best guess is that it’s a small white jade rice bowl with plate or saucer.”
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Mason then wowed her with the revelation that the rice bowl and the dish were, in fact, not a matching set. Taken aback, she said: “Oh really? For as long as I’ve had them, they’ve always been together.”, reports the Mirror.Mr. Mason clarified about the mismatch due to the colour difference and how the rice bowl does not fit perfectly on the plate.
(Image: PBS)
The expert was keen to point out a distinctive aspect of the piece: “One of the other features about this which is really interesting, the dish, is the shape of the wall, the edge. You notice it’s got a very wide centre section that’s flat and then it curves up,” he said. “This shape is a distinctive Chinese shape.
“When I first saw this, my supposition was that it may have well been something from the 18th Century, because this particular shape was a shape that was favoured in the 18th Century in China and into the early 19th Century.”
He added: “When I took it down and I looked at it, the sides are very thin, which I think is indicative of a slightly later period in time. And I looked at the underside and you can see this kind of low foot on the edge and there’s not a mark here and often on the 18th Century ones you find a mark.”
“And the very white colour of this is indicative of a type of quality that would have been only available to the very wealthiest of people. That’s what helps us to understand the time frame of when this was made and the same sort of process I use for the glass bowl. So you can see here it’s a little bowl with a cover and this shape is also a shape you find from the late 18th Century and forward. So I suspect that this is actually 20th Century also.”
(Image: BBC)
When quizzed about the value she reckoned her treasures might fetch, the guest hazarded a guess of $1,000. The expert couldn’t help but reveal: “I think it’s worth a bit more than that. I believe that the two objects together are worth $15,000 to $25,000.”
The lady was utterly flabbergasted at the revelation, slapping her hand over her mouth in disbelief. She blurted out: “Oh my Heavens. Oh my Heavens”, and after a brief pause, she continued with: “That is stunning.”
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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
