Rare Chinese dish hidden in a box in a cupboard worth £100k

A decorative plate kept tucked away in a box inside a cupboard could be worth up to £100,000.

The "exceptional" Chinese dish, carrying the reign mark for Emperor Yongzheng, could fetch up to £100,000 under auction. Picture: PA

The “hugely rare” Chinese dish which dates back nearly 300 years was received as an inheritance and was put away for safe-keeping.

Now experts at Hansons Auctioneers in Derbyshire have assessed what was known in the owner’s family as “granny’s dish” to be an “exceptional” example of its type.

Charles Hanson, auction house owner, said he was expecting the piece to draw plenty of bids from the Far East, given its pedigree.

The dish came to end up in south Derbyshire through the rags-to-riches tale of former owner and banker Alexander Robertson.

Born in Thornhill in Scotland in 1861 to humble beginnings, Robertson emigrated to Canada and then America to seek a fortune.

He evidently found what he sought, becoming vice president of the Continental and Commercial Bank of Chicago in 1906.

As a man of some standing, Robertson accumulated a great deal of art and pieces.

But although married he remained childless and when he died in 1922 Robertson’s possessions were shipped to Edinburgh and divided up among his relatives.

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One of his descendants who is now selling the dish, but wishes to remain anonymous, said: “We knew the dish was valuable because our auntie took it along to the BBC Antiques Roadshow in the 1990s and they said it was worth £20,000 then.

“My auntie, who lived with my granny, used to hang it on the wall but I was too scared to have it on show when my family inherited it two years ago.

“I put it away in a box inside a cupboard.

“I hope someone buys it who will cherish it - and be brave enough to have it on display.”

Measuring 13 inches across, the plate is decorated on both sides with white flowering blossoms borne on leafy branches.

Against a vibrant powder blue background, the flower petals and veins of leaves are detailed with fine slip trailing.

The design derives from the Ming prototype of the 15th century, while the dish itself carries the mark of the reign of the Yongzheng Emperor, dating the piece between 1723 and 1735.

It goes under the hammer with a guide price of £40,000-£60,000 at Hansons, in Etwall, Derbyshire on September 29.

Mr Hanson said: “It could fetch far more. We expect the world of high-brow Far Eastern collectors to fly in and have a hand in competing for this wonderful dish.

“It truly is a magical find.”