Vase

Country: Japan

Manufactory: Satsuma

Date of establishment: XVIII century

Height (cm): 19

Porcelain Story

Those few experts in the field of porcelain antiques, who had a chance to see this ancient Japanese vase live, enthusiastically called it unique, unrepeatable, incredible. I do not consider myself a great connoisseur of Japanese porcelain. At the same time, I must admit that I really like the vase. Otherwise, tell me, why was it necessary to acquire it in our collection?

If you ask me if I would ever like to know that the uniqueness of this not very large, but extraordinarily beautiful work can be estimated at some well-known auction at a fabulous amount (as it sometimes happens lately), I will answer so: of course, I would not refuse. Although I have no illusions about this. Moreover, there has not been a single case in my practice when, acquiring a rare porcelain work for the collection, I planned to sell it later with any profit. There can be only one benefit for me - to wait for the opening of the museum and to please my compatriots with the opportunity in Kyiv, and not somewhere in New York, Shanghai, Valencia, Berlin or Naples, to enjoy the best examples of world porcelain art.

On the birthday of the famous Christie's auction house, founded by the London antiquary James Christie on December 5, 1766, I was reminded of the recent high-profile story of the disappearance of Leonardo da Vinci's famous painting "The Savior of the World." Six months ago, all the world's largest publications were trumpeting about this. The piquancy of this story was given by the fact that the opening of a branch of the Louvre in the capital of the United Arab Emirates, Abu Dhabi, was associated with the fact that among the many masterpieces of world art, the "Savior of the World" would also be presented there. The Louvre in the Middle East was opened with pomp, but the promised work of Leonardo da Vinci was never seen there. My wife and daughter, on a special trip to Abu Dhabi, were disappointed by the lack of the promised beauty and left the Louvre in the Middle East with a taste of bitterness in our souls.

It was understandable. Many connoisseurs of art, including us, wanted to see for themselves not so much in the genius of da Vinci (which, as you understand, no one doubted), but in the skill of Christie's auction house specialists, who managed to sell a restored work that, according to the most authoritative experts, could not cost more than 100 million.

And recently it became known that the most expensive painting in the history of world painting did not disappear anywhere. It is stored on the yacht of the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia and will remain there until the construction of a cultural center in Al Madinh is completed, in which this masterpiece will be given a special role. Well, we'll have to wait...