'Rare' 250-Year-Old Chinese Antiques Worth Thousands
9 Video Views·Mar 23, 2025
These antiques are recognised as Chinese imitations, crafted in the mid-18th Century, replicating English silverwork from 1720. They were passed on to this lady by her late brother and hold great sentimental value. They were made for the French market and are beautifully decorated with hand-painted roses. Even though one of the pair split during the firing process, they still hold a significant monetary value. The experts from Antiques Roadshow take a look at some fantastic antiques and the history and stories surrounding them. This clip was filmed in Ramsgate in 2002.
Tell me, what do you know about these?
I know very little about them.
They were left to me by my late brother
and all I do know is that he thought they were from the Dutch East India Company
and we come from South Africa and my brother lived in Cape Town.
If you and he thought there might have been a Dutch East India Company link,
presumably you think you know that they're Chinese, do you?
I have no idea where they come from, nothing at all.
Right.
They are Chinese. They're Chinese.
And they are based on English silver originals of about 1720, right?
But actually these date from about 1760.
So they were copying something which was out of date by 30, 40, 50 years even maybe.
But they are 1760.
They're quite rare survivors.
Another interesting point about this,
when the Chinese model this or cast it or mould it,
they fire it in the kiln, take it out, glaze it and fire it at full temperature.
The first firing is just to harden it off.
And normally nothing happens at that first hardening up off stage,
but this one has split.
Now normally you chuck it away.
But this cost, in Chinese terms, quite a lot of money to make.
It's a complicated object.
So rather than dump it, they filled it with glaze and fired it, right?
So it then comes down.
It's taken from Qingdezhen where it's made and glazed
all the way down to Canton where the decoration is put on.
And this would have been done specially to European taste
and I think French taste.
I think this is Compagnie des Indes, made for the French market.
Beautifully decorated, hand-painted in Family Rose enamels.
Unusual with this iron-red band of stiff leaves around here.
Not common at all.
They are, apart from that firing crack which doesn't count,
they're in perfect condition.
You like them, do you?
I'm not mad about them.
How mad is not mad?
They've got sentimental value, so they are very special.
The thing about sentimental value is that you offer enough
that it will overcome it.
Possibly.
£2,000?
£3,000?
No.
OK, that's as high as I can get.
Well, maybe £3,500.
No, I think I would rather, because of the memory of my brother, yes.
Well, that's a nice thing to remember him by.
I think they're utterly, utterly charming and you're very, very lucky.
Thank you very much.
Thank you.