GUEST: My grandparents lived in China from about## 1918 to about 1938 and they brought back# some artifacts and this was one of them.

I being the first grandchild got it.

APPRAISER: And did they tell you where in China?

GUEST: They lived in Peking, which is now Beijing,## but they lived different places.

So I# don't know where they got it in China.

APPRAISER: Let’s start with some basics.

This# is composed of several different elements.## We have the seated figure, we have the# base on which the seated figure rests,## and we have the back plate, the aureole,# which is a separate element that lifts out.

This is a seated figure of Buddha.

The figure and the stand are all bronze.

If you look here, there's# kind of lighter colors...

GUEST: Uh-huh APPRAISER: ...which are above#.. that's actually the remnants# of a gilded lacquer surface.

GUEST: Oh.

APPRAISER: So## at one time, this figure was entirely gilded GUEST: Wow.

APPRAISER: I'm going to turn it around so we can# see what some .. And that's right here.

You can see where this# was adhering to the surface and it's now gone.

Now, you would expect to see that same# sort of treatment on this element,## but we don't.

What we see is a green patinated# surface, with indications of quite great age.

GUEST: Right.

APPRAISER: But not the same# sort of green .. figure.

That's an inconsistency.

But this is# consistent with the stand on which it rests.

GUEST: So these two would probably go together?

APPRAISER: These two, I do believe,# were originally together.

But the## question then arises, when did# these come together and where?

Now, it may have been in the antique shops and# alleys of Beijing early in the 20th century.

But,## it’s interesting to see that this element here# at the front, which are these upright leaves,## conforms nearly exactly to the shape# of this figure.

That's unusual.## So that speaks to perhaps these were# brought together at an earlier period.

GUEST: Okay.

APPRAISER: And I expect that..

So looking at this, you see again the disparity# between the very placid, simple design of the## seated figure of Buddha.

And the base, which# is much more elaborate, and is looking back to## Indian design.

South Indian bronzes, some# of them have these very elaborate bases.

And the back also exhibits elements more# commonly associated with Indian design## because Buddhism came from India# to China.

So even within China,## there were often allusions to# that earlier Indian origin.

So we had this mixture of elements# of iconography going on between## the figure and the stand none of# these elements are, in my opinion,## late.

I think these are all early,# dating somewhere to the Ming Dynasty.

The Ming Dynasty is 1368 to 1644.

GUEST: Really?

APPRAISER: Somewhere in that period of time,# this figure and the stand were created.

GUEST: Wow.

APPRAISER: And at some# point were brought t.. What do you think this might be worth?

I mean,## you must have had this going# on in your head for a while.

GUEST: I had it for a long time.

I’ve never# had anybody look at it.

I have no idea.

APPRAISER: Well, I have an idea, and I believe## that in an auction setting, this would# realize between $15,000 and $20,000.

GUEST: Really?

Oh, my goodness.

I had no# idea.

Wow.

Thank you to my grandmother.