Las Vegas casino owner buys rare Ming vase in record auction
Published May 31st, 2006
CASINO owner Steve Wynn shelled out HK$78.52 million (US$10.13 million) for a rare underglaze copper-red Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) vase in Hong Kong yesterday, setting a world record for any Ming porcelain.
“He’s bought the vase at the right price, making a world record,” said Edward Dolman, chief executive officer of Christie’s International.
The pear-shaped vase decorated with a peony scroll is the only copper-red vase from the early Ming Dynasty still in perfect condition to be offered at auction in more than 15 years, said Christie’s Hong Kong.
The vase was originally inherited by a Scottish couple who used it as a lamp and did not know its importance until they had seen another example in a museum.
When Christie’s London sold the vase in 1984, it fetched 421,200 pounds (US$615,000) then a record price for an East Asian work of art sold at Christie’s.
