The object of the day: 18th century chinese moonflask

The 18th-century Qing Dynasty Chinese vase

An elderly woman who took an old vase wrapped in a carrier bag to her local WI fair was stunned to discover it was a rare 250-year-old Chinese relic worth £500,000. The woman, who is in her 80s but has not been named to protect the artefact, inherited the vase from her late father, Edward Whittington-Ince, in 1976.
The vase, described as being of 'the highest quality', is painted with delicate cobalt blue designs of birds perched on a prunas branch - a popular theme for porcelain painters.


The Chinese porcelain moonflask which had been gathering dust on a shelf in the pensioner's Dorset home was identified as an ancient Imperial Qing Dynasty treasure from the 18th century.

Excited specialists have now advised the shocked woman to contact Asian art experts, after valuing the rare 11.5-inch piece at around £500,000.