Top 10 cultural events in 2014
china.org.cn / chinagate.cn, January 5, 2015 Adjust font size:
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Return of ancient bronze vessel 'Min Fanglei'
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On June 12, 2014, world-famous auction house Christie's hands over the "Min Fanglei" wine vessel to collectors from central China's Hunan Province, where it was found by farmers in 1919. |
On June 12, world-famous auction house Christie's handed over the "Min Fanglei" wine vessel to collectors from central China's Hunan Province, where it was found by farmers in 1919.
The collectors donated the 3,000-year-old bronze ritual vessel to the Hunan Provincial Museum in the city of Changsha, reuniting it with its lid, which has been in the museum's collection for decades.
The vessel, which stands more than 60 centimeters tall, was set to go up for sale at auction at Christie's in New York on April 20, but was withdrawn after the group of collectors made a private bid. It was reported that they bought the vessel for a much lower price than it could have made at auction, although the actual amount was not revealed. Under the agreement of the sale, the vessel, which dates from the 12th or 11th century BC, can never be auctioned or traded again.
