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18th C. Sino-Tibetan Gilt Bronze Deity

Value (2020) | $20,000 Auction
Watch  

GUEST:
This was in my family as long as I can remember. My parents had it. We lived in Japan, and... I don't know anything about it, to be honest.

APPRAISER:
Well, it's a whole family of bronzes that they refer to as Sino-Tibetan. They were made in China and they were also made in Tibet, for basically Tibetan Buddhism. And this was 18th century.

GUEST:
Whoa!

APPRAISER:
Probably made during the Qianlong reign.

GUEST:
My gosh.

APPRAISER:
The Qianlong's 1735 to 1796.

GUEST:
Oh, my gosh.

APPRAISER:
And this is an image of Yamantaka. And the image is gilt bronze. And this is mercury gilt bronze. They've basically taken gold and mixed it with mercury and then fired it off, so only the gold remains on the surface. And then it's been burnished. And then originally, the face would have been actually painted with powdered gold.

GUEST:
Really?

APPRAISER:
So it would have been, like, much more, uh, kind of dull gold.

GUEST:
So it's a good thing I don't clean it, huh?

APPRAISER:
No, you shouldn't, never. And the red that's on there, that was used in dedicating the image. In Tibetan Buddhism, they anoint images. They dress them with scarves.

GUEST:
Right, right.

APPRAISER:
Burn incense in front of them, that kind of thing. The construction, it's a number of pieces that are put together. That basically identifies the piece as being correct. This one just is an incredible casting. It's pretty much as intensely good on the back as it is on the front.

GUEST:
Right. Right. It's fascinating.

APPRAISER:
And, you know, all of these faces that are on here, that flame headdress on there... Did you see the elephant skin on the back?

GUEST:
Yes, it's...

APPRAISER:
Yeah.

GUEST:
I, I discover new things each time I look at it, actually. As a child, I didn't really pay much attention to it.

APPRAISER:
Did you have any idea as to its value?

GUEST:
I have no idea. Whatsoever.

APPRAISER:
Conservatively, an auction estimate on this piece would be $6,000 to $8,000. GUEST (laughs): Oh, my gosh. Oh, my.

APPRAISER:
Conservatively.

GUEST:
Oh, my.

APPRAISER:
And these things have been really taking off in terms of value. They've been going higher and higher and higher.

GUEST:
Really?

Support provided by: Learn more

Appraisal Details

Appraiser
James Callahan
Asian Arts
Tremont Auctions
Newton, MA
Update (2020)
$20,000 Auction
Appraised value (2007)
$6,000 Auction – $8,000 Auction
Featured In
Louisville, Hour 3 (#1215)
Vintage Louisville 2021, Hour 1 (#2510)
Event
Louisville, KY (July 28, 2007)
Category
Asian Arts
Period
18th Century
Form
Figure
Material
Bronze

Executive producer Marsha Bemko shares her tips for getting the most out of ANTIQUES ROADSHOW.

Value can change: The value of an item is dependent upon many things, including the condition of the object itself, trends in the market for that kind of object, and the location where the item will be sold. These are just some of the reasons why the answer to the question "What's it worth?" is so often "It depends."

Note the date: Take note of the date the appraisal was recorded. This information appears in the upper left corner of the page, with the label "Appraised On." Values change over time according to market forces, so the current value of the item could be higher, lower, or the same as when our expert first appraised it.

Context is key: Listen carefully. Most of our experts will give appraisal values in context. For example, you'll often hear them say what an item is worth "at auction," or "retail," or "for insurance purposes" (replacement value). Retail prices are different from wholesale prices. Often an auctioneer will talk about what she knows best: the auction market. A shop owner will usually talk about what he knows best: the retail price he'd place on the object in his shop. And though there are no hard and fast rules, an object's auction price can often be half its retail value; yet for other objects, an auction price could be higher than retail. As a rule, however, retail and insurance/replacement values are about the same.

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