A DECORATIVE dish spotted on a sideboard at a local property could sell for thousands of pounds at auction, an expert said.
The piece – thought to have little value by its owner – was spotted by auctioneer Charles Hanson during a house call near Lichfield.
The bowl was an Elizabethan mother-of-pearl Indo-Portuguese piece, believed to have been crafted in Gujarat on the western coast of India in the late 16th or early 17th century.
It’s thought to be a rare survivor of wares popular with the wealthy elite and royalty during the days of the Portuguese empire and could fetch between £10,000 and £15,000 when it is sold in September.
Charles, owner of Hansons Auctioneers, says it was likely it was brought to the UK by a British merchant for a royal or noble household around 400 years ago.
“I’d been called in to inspect some French glass and jewellery but spotted the dish out of the corner of my eye sitting on a sideboard.
“The owner was a little dismissive. Her husband acquired it in London in the 1970s, but she had no idea of its potential value and was shocked by its importance.
“It was a scarce luxury object then and now. Items like this were deemed so exotic they were gifted to royalty – and we have the Portuguese to thank for this trend because when their country’s empire was at its height, its people commissioned mother-of-pearl wares.
“The fragility of items like this mean few survive but a local sideboard has proved to be a safe haven.”