Sale of Chinese Vase Canceled By Court Over Question of Provenance

A French court ordered the prestigious Galerie Kraemer in Paris to return 2.8 million euros (approximately $3.25 million) to collector Sheikh Hamad bin Abdullah Al Thani over issues related to a Chinese vase. The decision comes after eight years of legal wrangling over the work’s attribution date.

It is reported The Art NewspaperThe Paris Court of Appeal sided with the collector, a cousin of the emir of Qatar, “because of ‘serious doubts’ about the age of the porcelain vase’s gilded bronze base.”

According to investigators, the vase was sold in Brazil 20 years ago for 815 euros ($945). Tanthen passed through a Paris flea market and three antique dealers before being purchased by Laurent Kraemer for €180,000 ($208,750).

But Sheikh Hamad bin Abdullah Al Thani, who purchased the vase in 2012, had the vase inspected after “Kremer Gallery was involved in several counterfeit furniture cases (one of which involved a counterfeit royal chair sold to the same collector, in which the gallery was found not guilty of gross negligence; it denied wrongdoing in the other cases).”

Expert Sébastien Evain considered the vase’s age “extremely unlikely”, while two others said “it could not have been installed in the 18th century”.

“But these claims were refuted by Gilles Perrault, an expert commissioned by the gallery who did not see the object with his own eyes,” Tan. “After analyzing Evain’s report and looking at 76 photos of the bronze base, he concluded that it was “certainly an 18th-century artifact.” His view was supported by another expert, Guy Calfond, who had also only seen photos.”

In 2021, the court rejected Sheikh Hamad’s claims, but more conflicting opinions emerged. The latest ruling was then issued, as follows: Tan “The Court of Appeal ruled that ‘careful examination of the work by competent experts,’ who visually inspected the piece, raised ‘serious doubts,'” the report said. Although the creation date could not be determined, that was enough for the court to reverse the sale. “

Lawyers for Galerie Kraemer, who plans to appeal the ruling, expressed disappointment at the decision, saying: “All dealers should be concerned that it only takes a few experts to raise questions about the date for the cancellation of the sale of such a fantastic item.”