By OLIVIA DAY, ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR, AUSTRALIA
Published: | Updated:
A pair of Chinese imperial 'soldier' vases that have stood in an Elizabethan mansion for decades are tipped to sell for £150,000 at auction.
The blue and white porcelain vases, which stand one metre tall, are believed to date back to the Kangxi period in 18th-century China.
The antiques, which earned their nickname for their sentry-like appearance, have spent decades at the entrance of Breamore House near Fordingbridge, Hampshire.
The name is also a nod to the story of Augustus the Strong of Saxony exchanging 600 cavalrymen and horses for a collection of 151 Chinese porcelain vases.
The vases will be sold by auctioneers Dukes of Dorchester in Dorset alongside other ceramics, sculptures, clocks and antique books from the 16th-century home.
One of the soldier vases is decorated with a scene depicting warriors on horseback brandishing weapons in a walled city setting.
The other shows a Mandarin, a term for a high-ranking civil servant, in his court with numerous attendants and musicians.
Other antiques to be auctioned from the Grade II-listed home include a 70-piece 1720s Chinese export iron-red armorial dinner service valued at £20,000.
A pair of Chinese imperial 'solider' vases (pictured) that have stood in an Elizabethan mansion for decades are tipped to sell for £150,000 at auction
The vases, which earned their nickname for their sentry-like appearance, have spent decades at the entrance of Breamore House near Fordingbridge, Hampshire
A Kangxi iron-red rouleau vase, decorated with a mountainous landscape and pagodas, could make £4,000.
A nearly 500-year-old English Bible is estimated to sell for £8,000 and a George III ebony bracket clock by Peter Bonyer of London has a £2,000 price tag.
An 18th-century English statuary marble figure of a young Autumn boy, attributed to Joseph Wilton (1722-1803), could go for £20,000.
The Kangxi period was a 61-year golden age that marked the longest official reign in Chinese history, during which the Qing dynasty consolidated its rule.
The Kangxi Emperor is credited with transforming the newly-established Manchu regime into one of the most prosperous and powerful regimes in China's history.
He reopened the imperial kilns at Jingdezhen, sparking a revolution in high-quality ceramics, with the period becoming known for its blue and white porcelain.
A Dukes spokesperson said: 'This magnificent pair of "soldier" vases has long occupied a guard-like role at Breamore House.
'The term "soldier" vase is often associated with their resemblance to sentries standing to attention, often positioned on either side of a doorway or, in this case, a mantelpiece of a country house.
A Kangxi iron-red rouleau vase, decorated with a mountainous landscape, could make £4,000
A George III ebony bracket clock (pictured) by Peter Bonyer of London has a £2,000 price tag
A nearly 500 year-old English Bible (pictured) is estimated to sell for £8,000
'Similar pairs of Kangxi period vases can be found in The Royal Collection, Windsor Castle, possibly brought to England from Germany with George I's Hanoverian dynasty.
'The collection comprises approximately 80 lots, predominantly ceramics, alongside sculpture, clocks and books from the historic country house.
'The contents have been there for generations, making them completely fresh to the market.'
The 80-lot sale is expected to raise £250,000.
Breamore House was built on the site of a priory and completed in 1583 by the Dodington family. It was restored after a major fire in 1856.
Scenes from the 2005 hit film Pride & Prejudice starring Keira Knightley and Matthew Macfadyen were filmed at the 16th-century home.