This broken flower pot from a UK garden turns out to be a $66,000 masterpiece
Source: New York Post
From broken to a priceless treasure: In a dramatic twist, a broken flower vase was sold at auction for Rs 56 lakh ($66,000) in the UK. At first, it was brushed off as a mere, smashed pot, but it was subsequently recognised as a 'lost piece of art' by 19th-century avant-garde artist
Hans Coper
. The 4-foot-tall pot, which was discarded in a garden, proved to be a rare and priceless work of art that had been lost for decades. This shocking find emphasises the surprising fashions in which art can remain concealed in plain sight, subverting beliefs of worth and the characterisation of a masterpiece.
Broken flower pot sold for $66,000 at UK auction
London's Chiswick Auctions had initially valued the broken flower pot between Rs 6.7 lakh and Rs 11 lakh. However, the auction soon became a bidding war, with several parties showing interest. A US bidder eventually won the piece at an astonishing Rs 56 lakh.
Maxine Winning, Chiswick Auctions' design head, was thrilled: "Everyone is overjoyed. The vendor didn't anticipate the vessel reaching its estimate, so they are on cloud nine. According to the New York post, there was a contest for it between a bidder from America, Denmark, and a woman in the room." Winning went on to highlight the implication of the sale: "The fact you can sell a very broken ceramic for that amount says how collectable and highly thought of Hans Coper is."
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Man behind broken flower pot auctioned
Hans Coper, who was born in Germany, escaped to the UK in 1939, fleeing the chaos of World War II. Coper was a well-known figure in ceramics and was instructing at the Camberwell School of Arts in London during 1964 when he painted this specific artwork. His cutting-edge works were extremely popular, and his contribution to the world of ceramic art remains high today.
History of the surprising broken flower pot
The flower pot was made by Coper in 1964 when he was commissioned by a mystery female client. The owner prized the vase for many years, holding onto it. But when it got broken, she did not throw the piece away. She instead had it repaired and reused it as a decorative flower pot, situating it in her garden in London. After the owner died, her grandchildren inherited the estate and saw the worth of the vase. Knowing that it was valuable historically, they phoned Chiswick Auctions for a general valuation, and more importantly, for the flower pot.
Jo Lloyd, the ceramics expert at Chiswick Auctions, was assigned to inspect the vase. In spite of the rough restoration and damage, Lloyd knew the vase was authentic because of Coper's signature seal at the base. Lloyd further noted that this vase is among Coper's tallest pieces because most of his pieces are usually between 10 cm and 40 cm in height.
Cost of restoration of broken flower pot
While the vase was broken, its heritage value was not. Specialists project that it will take around Rs 9 lakh to restore the pot completely. In spite of its condition, the value of the vase was unmistakable, and it translated into its amazing auction price.
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