Antiques Roadshow taped the highest-value appraisal in its 13-year history at its Raleigh, North Carolina, event on June 27, 2009. Four pieces of Chinese carved jade and celadon from the Chien Lung Dynasty (1736-1795), including a large bowl crafted for the Emperor, was given a conservative auction estimate of as much as $1.07M.
The owner inherited the collection from her father, who bought the objects in the 1930s and 1940s while stationed in China as a military liaison. Asian arts appraiser James Callahan of Skinner Inc. noted the fine quality of the pieces, evidence that they were not made simply for the tourist trade, and he was rewarded by finding a mark on the bottom of the jade bowl that translates as "by Imperial order. "
This appraisal, and others taped at the Raleigh Convention Center on the 27th, will be considered for broadcast in Antiques Roadshow's 2010 season (its fourteenth), premiering Monday, January 4 on PBS.
The jade collection now tops the list of high value Antiques Roadshow appraisals. Moving to second place is a 1937 painting by American Abstract Expressionist artist Clyfford Still, found in Palm Springs, CA, in 2008. The painting had been given a retail estimate of $500,000.
Executive Producer Marsha Bemko said, "For thirteen years, we've been hoping to feature a million-dollar appraisal on Antiques Roadshow; it's been our "Great White Whale." We're thrilled that, despite this year's slow economy, Roadshow finally captured this elusive trophy."
