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A Chinese cloisonné pomegranate box from the Ming dynasty, initially bought for £19 at Sotheby’s in London in 1946 by Major Edward Copleston Radcliffe, recently sold for £288,000 at Dreweatts auction house in Berkshire. Rediscovered in a family attic after decades of obscurity, the box bears the reign mark of Emperor Xuande and is one of only five known examples worldwide; three are held by museums while the rest are privately owned. The final sale price far exceeded its estimated value of £6,000 to £10,000 due to competitive bidding from nine telephone bidders, with a private collector in Asia winning the piece.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-10-11,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
A Chinese enamel cloisonné pomegranate box bought for £19 at a London auction in 1946 has been sold for £288,000 by Dreweatts auction house in Berkshire, after being rediscovered in a family attic. The box originally belonged to Major Edward Copleston Radcliffe and was part of his collection until it was sent to Dreweatts for appraisal decades later. Experts Mark Newstead and Yingwen Tao identified the item's historical significance, noting that it dates back to the Ming dynasty and bears the reign mark of Emperor Xuande, who ruled from 1426 to 1435. The box was crafted in imperial workshops near Beijing’s Forbidden City and is adorned with pomegranates, branches, and blossoms.
Written for “Ming Dynasty Artifact Sale” on 2026-10-11,
grounded in this article and the 0 other(s) covering the same event.
A Chinese enamel box bought for £19 at a London auction in 1946 has sold for £288,000 after being rediscovered in a family attic, where it had remained largely unnoticed for decades.
asserted
it → buy → decades
The 15th-century object, known as a cloisonné pomegranate box, went under the hammer at Dreweatts auction house in Berkshire with an estimate of £6,000 to £10,000.
asserted
object → know → 10,000
Competitive bidding pushed the final price far beyond that range, with an Asian private collector securing the piece.
asserted
collector → push → piece
The box belonged to Major Edward Copleston Radcliffe, who bought it at Sotheby’s in 1946.
asserted
who → belong → 1946
After he died in 1967, it remained among other objects in his collection until his family sent the items to Dreweatts for assessment.
asserted
family → die → assessment
Rare Chinese box dates back to 15th century
Dreweatts specialists Mark Newstead and Yingwen Tao recognised the box’s significance during their examination of the collection.
asserted
specialists → date → collection
The piece dates to the Ming dynasty and bears the reign mark of Xuande, the fifth emperor of the dynasty, who ruled from 1426 to 1435.
asserted
who → date → 1435
The box was made in the 15th century in imperial workshops near Beijing’s Forbidden City, according to the auction house.
uncertain
box → make → house
It is decorated with pomegranates, branches and blossoms.
asserted
It → decorate → pomegranates
The fruit was associated with fertility in Chinese symbolism.
asserted
fruit → associate → symbolism
Cloisonné is a decorative technique in which thin metal strips form compartments that are filled with enamel.
asserted
that → form → enamel
Early Ming examples bearing the Xuande mark are particularly scarce, as production was closely controlled by the imperial court.
asserted
production → bear → court
Newstead, Dreweatts’ director of Asian ceramics and works of art, said the box’s discovery among less valuable items in an attic was remarkable.
asserted
discovery → say → attic
He said the auction attracted strong competition from nine telephone bidders before a private collector in Asia won the lot.
asserted
collector → say → lot
One of few surviving examples
The box is among a small number of known examples of Xuande-marked pomegranate boxes.
asserted
box → survive → boxes
According to Dreweatts, only five are known to exist, with three held by museums or other institutions and one in another private collection.
uncertain
five → accord → collection
The newly rediscovered box had previously been displayed at the National Gallery of South Africa during a Chinese exhibition in Cape Town in 1953.
asserted
box → rediscover → 1953
It was subsequently believed to have been lost from public view.
asserted
It → believe → view
The result also returned the object to the auction market for the first time since Radcliffe purchased it in 1946.
asserted
Radcliffe → return → 1946
“There was very strong bidding between nine telephone bidders, with a private collector in Asia finally winning out,” Newstead said.
asserted
Newstead → be → Asia
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