When a woman placed her lion statue in front of the appraiser on the Antiques Roadshow, she didn’t expect him to get choked up and emotional. But that’s exactly what happened when the popular TV show stopped in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
A woman whose grandparents traveled to China and brought home the heavy marble statue knew the statue was valuable, but she was completely surprised by what she learned. She had been told the statue was from the Ming Dynasty and “priceless”.
The appraiser, Lark E. Mason got emotional when he explained that it was actually much older than she thought. The Lion statue was actually from the Tang Dynasty (6th to 9th centuries) – considered the “Golden Age” of Chinese arts and culture and centuries earlier than the Ming Dynasty.
Mason marvels at the statue’s detailing saying, “This is among the finest examples of Chinese art that we have seen on the Roadshow. The carving is beautiful, the workmanship is stunning, the carver who did this was truly a master.”
He also added, that statues like hers can’t be bought any more, they are reserved for museums.
Needless to say, when he got around to revealing what the unique piece of art was worth, the woman was happy. The insurance figure he gave her was even more!
Watch to learn more about this rare Tang Dynasty marble lion and what it’s worth in the video below.
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