Porcelain bowl that was used to hold foliage for years is expected to sell for a fortune

For years it has been left on the side and used as a simple plant pot.

But this porcelain bowl is now tipped to sell for a staggering £15,000 after it emerged that it was made for a 19th century Chinese emperor.

Unaware of the antique’s significance, its owner had tried to sell it on eBay for £200. 

However, they withdrew it from the website after being inundated with offers for ‘thousands of pounds’. 

The owner subsequently took the 8in-diameter bowl – which had been in the same British military family for 50 years – to auctioneers Sworders, of Stansted Mountfitchet, Essex.

An expert quickly identified it as a rare antique from the reign of Emperor Jiaqing (1796-1820). 

The yellow-ground famille rose medallion bowl has Jiaqing’s six-character mark and eight Buddhist emblems. 

The seller, who wishes to remain anonymous, said: ‘When we took the bowl to Sworders we were amazed to be told its potential worth – and fascinated to learn its full history.’

Yexue Li, Sworders’ Asian art specialist, said: ‘The bowl was used as a plant pot… Medallion bowls such as this are among the last great porcelain vessels made by the Qing [empire] before the dynasty began to weaken in the 19th century.’