Advertisement

Ancient looted Chinese bronze sells for double expected price at British auction house

Rare 3,000-year-old artefact lifted from Summer Palaces fetches more than US$580,000 in sale condemned by Chinese authorities

Reading Time:2 minutes
Why you can trust SCMP
Only six other Tinger Ying bronzes are known to exist. Photo: Canterbury Auction Galleries
Mandy Zuoin Shanghai

A rare 3,000-year-old bronze vessel looted by a British soldier from an imperial palace in Beijing has fetched £410,000 (US$581,600), more than double the estimated value at auction.

Advertisement

The vessel, referred to as a Tiger Ying because of its tiger decorations, was auctioned as planned at Canterbury Auction Galleries in the southeast of England on Wednesday despite calls from the Chinese government to halt the sale.

The water vessel, which dates back to the Western Zhou dynasty (1047-772BC), is believed to be one of only seven similar archaic vessels to exist, five of which are held in museums.

The identity of the buyer has remained unknown.

The Chinese government had denounced the sale and called for a boycott, but the local news portal KentOnline reported that it had sparked keen bidding especially from Chinese buyers.

Advertisement
Captain Harry Lewis Evans took part in the looting of the Summer Palace in 1860. Photo: Handout
Captain Harry Lewis Evans took part in the looting of the Summer Palace in 1860. Photo: Handout
Advertisement