Rare Chinese Qing dynasty vases could fetch £50,000

A pair of rare Chinese vases thought to date back from the 17th Century are estimated to fetch up to £50,000 when they go under the hammer next week.

The two Chinese Famille Verte 'Ladies' Vases are thought to date back to the Kangxi period of the Qing dynasty, between 1662 and 1722.

Auction house Mallam's explained that the vases had been in an Oxfordshire country house and represented "an extraordinary rediscovery of Chinese porcelain".

The auctioneers, based in Cheltenham, estimate the "magnificent and important" pair of vases could sell for between £30,000 and £50,000 when they go up for sale on Wednesday.

Robin Fisher, Mallams' Asian art expert said the sale offered "a rare opportunity to acquire a piece of documented collecting history" for potential buyers.

Explaining the porcelains provenance, the auction house said they had been painted "in exceptionally vibrant famille verte enamels".

Each vase features panels depicting elegant ladies as they take part in different activities, including strolling through gardens, and playing with a cat.

They each date back to the reign of the Kangxi Emperor, who was the longest-reigning emperor in Chinese history - ruling from 1661 to 1722.

Research led by Fisher found the vases had once been part of "one of the most historically lauded private collections of Chinese porcelain in Great Britain", Mallams said.

It said they had originally been owned by Victorian industrialist Richard Bennett - who used his fortune to amass "a premier collection of Qing dynasty imperial wares".

In 1911, the collection was sold in its entirety to London art dealer Edgar Gorer, who catalogued each piece.

Over the intervening years, the vases were sold off separately - including individual masterpieces which were purchased by museums and estates, including the Rockefeller family.