Art expert fired after Chinese vase he valued at $1,950 sells for $8 million

The auction house Osenat realised something was amiss when collectors arrived from China to view the blue and white ornate porcelain vase decorated with dragons and clouds -- motifs often sought after by those from East Asia. (Image credit: @BaigsonAuction/Twitter)

An art expert was fired from a prestigious auction house in France after a Chinese vase he valued at $1,950 sold for $8 million.

The listing describes the vase as a "Large TIANQIUPING porcelain and polychrome enamel vase in the style of the blue-white with globular body and long cylindrical neck, decorated with nine fierce dragons and clouds."

The auction house Osenat realised something was amiss when collectors arrived from China to view the blue and white ornate porcelain vase decorated with dragons and clouds -- motifs often sought after by those from East Asia, French news site Le Parisien stated.

Also, the pre-auction showing was swamped with interested buyers, who, according to The Guardian, arrived with "lamps and magnifying glasses" to inspect the vase.

"There were so many registrations we had to stop them. At that point, we understood something was happening," owner of the auction house Jean-Pierre Osenat told the publication.

The bidding during the auction was fierce and Osenat decided to fire the art expert.

"The expert made a mistake. One person alone against 300 interested Chinese buyers cannot be right," Osenat said. "He was working for us. He no longer works for us. It was, after all, a serious mistake."

The winning bid of almost $8 million was from a buyer from China, the auction house said.

Adjugé 7.7 Millions d’Euros sous le marteau de Maître Osenat cet après-midi à Fontainebleau, un grand vase TIANQIUPING en porcelaine et émaux polychromes#chine#auction#enchèrespic.twitter.com/fN9U8wmPrQ

— Osenat (@OsenatSVV) October 1, 2022

The seller is a woman from Brittany in northwest France. She had found the vase--which belonged to her grandmother--while clearing her mother's house and decided to part ways with it, according to The Guardian. The family used to put flowers in it.

After the auction, the woman was shocked to know the astronomical price with which the vase was bought.

"It's as if she had won the EuroMillions," Osenat told Le Parisien.

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