In a dusty attic in Pinner, north-west London, a forgotten treasure lay hidden for four decades, dismissed as a mere “clever reproduction” by a BBC antiques expert. This unassuming 16-inch vase, adorned with a delicate fish motif and gold banding, would go on to rewrite history as the most expensive piece of Chinese porcelain ever sold, fetching a staggering £53 million at auction. The story of this Qianlong Imperial vase, crafted for an 18th-century Chinese emperor, is one of serendipity, skepticism, and a jaw-dropping windfall that left its owners—and the antiques world—in disbelief.
In the 1970s, the vase made its first brush with fame on the BBC’s Going For A Song, a precursor to the beloved Antiques Roadshow. Presented to the show’s panel, which reportedly included resident expert Arthur Negus, the vase was met with a dismissive verdict: it was deemed a high-quality fake, unworthy of serious attention. Disheartened, the family tucked it away in their attic, where it gathered dust alongside other household relics. For years, it sat atop a bookcase, overlooked and undervalued, its true significance buried under layers of skepticism.
The vase’s journey to rediscovery began in 2010, following the deaths of the elderly owner’s sister and brother-in-law. The family, unaware of the treasure in their possession, called in Bainbridges, a west London auction house, for a routine house clearance. A flyer slipped through the letterbox of Gene Johnson, who had inherited the vase from her late sister, Patricia Newman, prompted the visit. Sale room manager David Reay arrived at the Pinner home, expecting little more than a few antiques of modest value—a grandfather clock, some old books, and perhaps the bookcase itself. But his eye was drawn to the dusty vase perched atop the bookcase.
“I said, ‘Oh, that looks nice,’” Reay later recalled. “They told me it had been valued at just £800 two months earlier and that it had been taken to Going For A Song 40 years ago, where it was called a very clever reproduction.” Intrigued but cautious, Reay took the vase back to Bainbridges for closer inspection, sensing it might hold more value than its modest appraisal suggested.
The vase’s true identity began to emerge under the scrutiny of Luan Grocholski, a ceramics expert formerly with Sotheby’s. At first glance, even he doubted its authenticity. “I thought it couldn’t be true,” Grocholski admitted. “The quality was fantastic, so I assumed it was a very high-quality copy.” But six weeks of meticulous research revealed the truth: this was no imitation. Crafted around 1740 for the Qianlong Emperor, who ruled China from 1736 to 1795, the vase was a rare relic of imperial artistry. Its provenance was further enriched by a dramatic history—it had been looted from the Imperial Summer Palace during the British and French raids of 1860, a turbulent chapter in China’s past.
Despite its authenticity, Bainbridges remained conservative, estimating its value at £800,000 to £1.2 million. They could not have anticipated the frenzy that would erupt when the vase went under the hammer in November 2010.
The auction at Bainbridges’ Ruislip saleroom was nothing short of electrifying. What began as a cautious affair, with six live bidders and three on the phone, quickly escalated into a high-stakes duel between two determined buyers. The price soared past £500,000, then into the tens of millions, with the final £20 million racking up in under two minutes. When auctioneer Peter Bainbridge finally slammed his gavel—shattering it in the process—the room fell silent. The winning bid of £43 million, plus VAT and commission, brought the total to an astonishing £53 million, a record for Chinese porcelain.
The family, watching from the back of the room, was overwhelmed. Gene Johnson, the vase’s inheritor, was reduced to tears, unable to speak as the life-changing sum sank in. “What’s so wonderful about it is they are very normal people,” Reay said. “They don’t have a lot. The mum said to me, ‘If only this had happened to me 30 years ago.’” The family had assumed the bookcase holding the vase would be the star of the sale, fetching a mere £200 in comparison.
Peter Bainbridge, reflecting on the moment, described the surreal atmosphere: “There was a silence that wrapped itself around the sale as the figure grew slowly but surely up to the sky. Once the hammer’s down, you take stock and think, ‘Oh, wow, that’s really rather a lot of money.’” For Bainbridges, a small auction house whose previous record sale was $160,000, the event was nothing short of historic.
The story took a twist when the anonymous Beijing-based industrialist who won the bid balked at the additional 20% auctioneer’s fees. A two-year payment dispute ensued, with Peter Bainbridge tirelessly negotiating to salvage the deal. Ultimately, the original sale fell through, but in January 2013, Bonhams auction house facilitated a private treaty sale to a new buyer from the Far East for an undisclosed sum, bringing closure to the saga.
The vase’s journey from attic obscurity to global sensation underscores the unpredictable nature of antiques. Peter Bainbridge, who retired in 2023 after 45 years, saw his firm acquired by antiques expert Adam Partridge, a familiar face on shows like Flog It! and Bargain Hunt. Partridge, who grew up attending Bainbridges’ auctions, called the acquisition a personal milestone, noting the “famous £43 million vase” as a highlight of the firm’s legacy.