A bowl bought for $35 at a New Haven, Conn., yard sale was auctioned for $721,800 after it was identified as a "lotus bowl" from the court of China's Yongle Emperor, who ruled from 1403 until 1424. Photo courtesy of Sotheby's
The selling price was nearly 29,000 times the price that it was purchased for at the yard sale.
The seller, who was not identified, told Sotheby's he bought the bowl at a New Haven yard sale in 2020 and sent photos to auction specialists to determine whether it was potentially a valuable antique.
The porcelain bowl was identified as a "lotus bowl" from the court of the Yongle Emperor, who ruled from 1403 until 1424. Sotheby's said only six other lotus bowls from the same period are known to still exist.
