At £100k, I’m a little teapot… who’s worth a lot! Rare 250-year-old Chinese wine jug is set to fetch a fortune at auction

• A Derbyshire householder found a 250-year-old Chinese wine jug worth £100k 
• The person, who does not wish to be identified, planned to give the jug away
• They considered clearing space in their house and donating it to a charity shop
• Now the jug has been consigned to auction with a guide price of £40k-£100k  

It was destined for a charity shop after decades in a garage and a loft. But this tiny ‘teapot’ turned out to be a 250-year-old Chinese wine jug worth up to £100,000. 

The imperial Beijing-enamelled wine ewer had been gathering dust for years after being boxed up by a family who never realised its true value.

But after unearthing the object during a lockdown clear-out at his Derbyshire home, the 51-year-old owner decided to take it to be valued by auction experts.

The imperial Beijing-enamelled wine ewer had been gathering dust for years after being boxed up by a family who never realised its true value 

The imperial Beijing-enamelled wine ewer had been gathering dust for years after being boxed up by a family who never realised its true value

Hansons owner Charles Hanson said ewers and teapots of this type were fashionable at court during the period and may have been handled by Emperor Qianlong himself

The wine ewer, which has a rectangular form, is brightly decorated on a lemon-yellow ground with colourful blooming peonies in hues of pinks, blues and purples

The owner, 51, from Derbyshire, who does not want to be named, said: ‘We’d been thinking of sending everything to a charity shop.

‘But then lockdown came along. I’d always thought the teapot was special.

‘We believe it was brought back from China by my grandfather, who was stationed in the Far East during the Second World War.’

He searched the internet and found a similar item in an auction, so took the 6in pot to Hansons in Etwall, Derbyshire, where it was identified as a ewer used to serve warm wine during the reign of the Qianlong Emperor between 1735 and 1796. It will be sold on September 24 and experts say it could make £40,000 to £100,000.

Hansons owner Charles Hanson said ewers and teapots of this type were fashionable at court during the period and may have been handled by Emperor Qianlong himself.

He added: ‘This has to be the best lockdown find ever. It is such an exciting discovery, an imperial 18th century wine ewer which would have graced a palace in China and was, perhaps, handled by Emperor Qianlong, considered by some to be the greatest Chinese emperor.

‘Two almost identical teapots, both with Qianlong reign marks, exist in the National Palace Museum in Taipei, Taiwan, and the Palace Museum in Beijing, China.

‘It’s truly astonishing to find an emperor’s wine ewer in a Derbyshire home, an object used to serve warm wine during important ceremonies.

‘He was fascinated by European enamel and the new method of enamel painting and the style was replicated in his imperial workshops.

‘During Emperor Qianlong’s reign this art form reached heady heights of perfection with designs reflecting the emperor’s extravagant taste.

‘The delicate wine ewer is a fine example of the perfect combination of an elegant shape, lavish colouration and technical perfection.

‘Emperor Qianlong must have been especially fond of this vessel as a number of them were made, hence the existence of two similar examples in important museums in Taiwan and China.’

The wine ewer, which has a rectangular form, is brightly decorated on a lemon-yellow ground with colourful blooming peonies in hues of pinks, blues and purples.

Hansons’ valuer Edward Rycroft said: ‘I knew it was special and persuaded the vendor to leave it with us so we could carry out some research.

‘We were delighted to tell him later that it could be worth tens of thousands of pounds.’

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