A centuries-old calligraphy album that was once part of the Chinese emperor’s royal collection and found in a Canadian basement has fetched more than $1 million at a Canadian auction, many times its projected sale price.
Heffel Fine Art Auction House said the “extremely rare” ink on silk calligraphy album was created by Zhao Mengfu, who was a distinguished Chinese calligrapher and painter during the Yuan dynasty, which is the only Mongol-led Imperial dynasty of China from about 700 years ago.
The bidding price at Thursday’s sale in Toronto started at $15,000 but soared to $900,000, and landed at $1,081,250 with the buyer’s premium….