At least three Ming dynasty (1368-1644) and Qing dynasty (1644-1911) artefacts have been broken in the National Palace Museum in Taiwan, in the past 18 months. This included a bowl, a teacup and a plate broken in three separate incidents which the museum has recently admitted following questioning from a Taiwan legislator.&nbsp;

On Friday, the country’s opposition leader, Chen I-shin accused the museum’s Director Wu Mi-cha of attempting to cover up that the Palace Museum has broken a national treasure. However, in a press conference, Wu denied these allegations and said they did not hide the news and admitted that at least three items from the museum’s archive have in fact been broken.

Wu also said that these broken artefacts had never been put on display and were not insured and the collective estimated value should not be over NT$2.5 billion ($77.85 million). Reports suggest that the National Palace Museum located on the outskirts of Taipei is home to the world’s largest collection of Chinese artefacts.&nbsp;

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The artefacts dating back to the 15th and 17th centuries were broken between 2021 and 2022. Wu said the first incident took place on February 3, 2021, followed by another on April 7, earlier this year. Staff members were organising artefacts when they discovered a Ming dynasty “yellow teacup with two green dragons” and a Qing dynasty “yellow teacup with dragon pattern” were damaged, said Wu.&nbsp;

He also said that despite checking a decade's worth of surveillance footage they were unable to find the person responsible for the breakage, which led him to believe they were broken due to unsatisfactory storage methods.&nbsp;

However, the Qing dynasty “blue-and-white floral plate” was damaged due to staff mishandling when the artefact was placed on a 100-centimetre-high workstation, fell onto a carpeted floor and broke into several pieces “like a bowl would,” said Wu. This incident took place on May 19, 2022.&nbsp;

Furthermore, the museum director said that after the three incidents he was notified by the staff immediately and even launched investigations in response. He also claimed that the information was classified to protect the evidence and not hide it. Notably, the museum had not initially released the images citing the ongoing investigation but did so anyway days later.&nbsp;

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The museum told the Guardian that the reason why a formal notification was not issued to the public or the cultural ministry was that the artefacts damaged were only “general antiquities”, the lowest-level designation of cultural heritage. Meanwhile, they were working to confirm the liability for the “blue-and-white floral plate” before reporting it was broken due to mishandling, said Wu. He went on to assure that the museum has been working on upgrading storage methods and are setting aside a budget for next year to improve porcelain archive packaging, in light of recent events.&nbsp;

(With inputs from agencies)&nbsp;

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At least three Ming dynasty (1368-1644) and Qing dynasty (1644-1911) artefacts have been broken in the National Palace Museum in Taiwan, in the past 18 months. This included a bowl, a teacup and a plate broken in three separate incidents which the museum has recently admitted following questioning from a Taiwan legislator.

At least three Ming dynasty (1368-1644) and Qing dynasty (1644-1911) artefacts have been broken in the National Palace Museum in Taiwan, in the past 18 months. This included a bowl, a teacup and a plate broken in three separate incidents which the museum has recently admitted following questioning from a Taiwan legislator. On Friday, the country’s opposition leader, Chen I-shin accused the museum’s Director Wu Mi-cha of attempting to cover up that the Palace Museum has broken a national treasure. However, in a press conference, Wu denied these allegations and said they did not hide the news and admitted that at least three items from the museum’s archive have in fact been broken. Wu also said that these broken artefacts had never been put on display and were not insured and the collective estimated value should not be over NT$2.5 billion ($77.85 million). Reports suggest that the National Palace Museum located on the outskirts of Taipei is home to the world’s largest collection of Chinese artefacts. ALSO READ: Taiwan's deputy economic minister travels to India next week The artefacts dating back to the 15th and 17th centuries were broken between 2021 and 2022. Wu said the first incident took place on February 3, 2021, followed by another on April 7, earlier this year. Staff members were organising artefacts when they discovered a Ming dynasty “yellow teacup with two green dragons” and a Qing dynasty “yellow teacup with dragon pattern” were damaged, said Wu. He also said that despite checking a decade's worth of surveillance footage they were unable to find the person responsible for the breakage, which led him to believe they were broken due to unsatisfactory storage methods. However, the Qing dynasty “blue-and-white floral plate” was damaged due to staff mishandling when the artefact was placed on a 100-centimetre-high workstation, fell onto a carpeted floor and broke into several pieces “like a bowl would,” said Wu. This incident took place on May 19, 2022. Furthermore, the museum director said that after the three incidents he was notified by the staff immediately and even launched investigations in response. He also claimed that the information was classified to protect the evidence and not hide it. Notably, the museum had not initially released the images citing the ongoing investigation but did so anyway days later. ALSO WATCH: Taiwan: No Taiwanese air force pilots trained PLA troops The museum told the Guardian that the reason why a formal notification was not issued to the public or the cultural ministry was that the artefacts damaged were only “general antiquities”, the lowest-level designation of cultural heritage. Meanwhile, they were working to confirm the liability for the “blue-and-white floral plate” before reporting it was broken due to mishandling, said Wu. He went on to assure that the museum has been working on upgrading storage methods and are setting aside a budget for next year to improve porcelain archive packaging, in light of recent events. (With inputs from agencies) WATCH WION LIVE HERE You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.

Taiwan: National Palace Museum admits breaking artefacts worth over $70 million

A small porcelain bowl purchased in a yard sale at $35 in Connecticut, has turned out to be a rare 15th-century Chinese artifact worth between $300,000 to $500,000.

The white bowl adorned with cobalt blue paintings of flowers and other designs is about 6 inches (16cm) in diameter. It is about to be auctioned at&nbsp;Sotheby’s.

An antiques enthusiast came across the piece and thought it could be something special when browsing a yard sale in the New Haven area last year, according to Sotheby’s.

The piece, one of only seven such bowls known to exist in the world, will be up for auction in New York on 17 March as part of Sotheby’s Auction of Important Chinese Art.

The buyer, whom is not being named, paid the $35 asking price and later emailed information and photos to Sotheby’s asking for an evaluation. The auction house’s experts on Chinese ceramics and art, Angela McAteer and Hang Yin, get many such emails every week, but this was one of the kind they dream about.

“It was immediately apparent to both of us that we were looking at something really very, very special,” said McAteer, Sotheby’s senior vice-president and the head of its Chinese works of art department. “The style of painting, the shape of the bowl, even just the color of the blue is quite characteristic of that early, early 15th-century period of porcelain.”

They confirmed it was from the 1400s when they were able to look at it in person.

There are no scientific tests, only the trained eyes and hands of specialists. The bowl was very smooth to the touch, its glaze was silky and the color and designs are distinctive of the period.

“All the characteristics and hallmarks are there that identify it as a product of the early Ming period,” McAteer said.

McAteer and Yin determined the bowl dates back to the early 1400s during the reign of the Yongle emperor, the third ruler of the Ming dynasty, and was made for the Yongle court. The Yongle court was known to have ushered in a new style to the porcelain kilns in the city of Jingdezhen, and the bowl is a quintessential Yongle product, according to Sotheby’s.

The bowl was made in the shape of a lotus bud or chicken heart. Inside, it is decorated with a medallion at the bottom and a quatrefoil motif surrounded by flowers. The outside includes four blossoms of lotus, peony, chrysanthemum and pomegranate flower. There are also intricate patterns at the top of both the outside and inside.

McAteer said only six other such bowls are known to exist, and most of them are in museums. No others are in the United States. There are two at the National Palace Museum in Taipei, Taiwan, two at museums in London and one in the National Museum of Iran in Tehran, according to Sotheby’s.

How the bowl ended up at a Connecticut yard sale remains a mystery. McAteer said it’s possible it was passed down through generations of the same family who did not know how unique it was.

“It’s always quite astounding to think that it kind of still happens, that these treasures can be discovered,“ McAteer said. “It’s always really exciting for us as specialists when something we didn’t even know existed here appears seemingly out of nowhere.”

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A small porcelain bowl purchased in a yard sale at $35 in Connecticut, has turned out to be a rare 15th-century Chinese artifact worth between $300,000 to $500,000.

A small porcelain bowl purchased in a yard sale at $35 in Connecticut, has turned out to be a rare 15th-century Chinese artifact worth between $300,000 to $500,000. The white bowl adorned with cobalt blue paintings of flowers and other designs is about 6 inches (16cm) in diameter. It is about to be auctioned at Sotheby’s. An antiques enthusiast came across the piece and thought it could be something special when browsing a yard sale in the New Haven area last year, according to Sotheby’s. The piece, one of only seven such bowls known to exist in the world, will be up for auction in New York on 17 March as part of Sotheby’s Auction of Important Chinese Art. The buyer, whom is not being named, paid the $35 asking price and later emailed information and photos to Sotheby’s asking for an evaluation. The auction house’s experts on Chinese ceramics and art, Angela McAteer and Hang Yin, get many such emails every week, but this was one of the kind they dream about. “It was immediately apparent to both of us that we were looking at something really very, very special,” said McAteer, Sotheby’s senior vice-president and the head of its Chinese works of art department. “The style of painting, the shape of the bowl, even just the color of the blue is quite characteristic of that early, early 15th-century period of porcelain.” They confirmed it was from the 1400s when they were able to look at it in person. There are no scientific tests, only the trained eyes and hands of specialists. The bowl was very smooth to the touch, its glaze was silky and the color and designs are distinctive of the period. “All the characteristics and hallmarks are there that identify it as a product of the early Ming period,” McAteer said. McAteer and Yin determined the bowl dates back to the early 1400s during the reign of the Yongle emperor, the third ruler of the Ming dynasty, and was made for the Yongle court. The Yongle court was known to have ushered in a new style to the porcelain kilns in the city of Jingdezhen, and the bowl is a quintessential Yongle product, according to Sotheby’s. The bowl was made in the shape of a lotus bud or chicken heart. Inside, it is decorated with a medallion at the bottom and a quatrefoil motif surrounded by flowers. The outside includes four blossoms of lotus, peony, chrysanthemum and pomegranate flower. There are also intricate patterns at the top of both the outside and inside. McAteer said only six other such bowls are known to exist, and most of them are in museums. No others are in the United States. There are two at the National Palace Museum in Taipei, Taiwan, two at museums in London and one in the National Museum of Iran in Tehran, according to Sotheby’s. How the bowl ended up at a Connecticut yard sale remains a mystery. McAteer said it’s possible it was passed down through generations of the same family who did not know how unique it was. “It’s always quite astounding to think that it kind of still happens, that these treasures can be discovered,“ McAteer said. “It’s always really exciting for us as specialists when something we didn’t even know existed here appears seemingly out of nowhere.”

Bowl purchased in yard sale at $35 turns out to be rare Chinese artifact

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Taiwan: National Palace Museum admits breaking artefacts worth over $70 million

Bowl purchased in yard sale at $35 turns out to be rare Chinese artifact