A rare Chinese bowl bought for about US$3 from a yard sale in the US sold for $2.2 million at an auction in New York on March 19.
The Ding bowl from the Northern Song Dynasty was bought for US$3 in 2007.
The bowl “was bought for a few dollars from a tag sale near the consignor’s home in the summer of 2007,” said Cecilia Leung of Sotheby’s. “At the time, the purchaser had no idea that they had happened upon a 1,000-year-old treasure.”
Photo: AFP
照片:法新社
The previous owner displayed the bowl in their living room for several years before they became curious about its origins and had it assessed. Sotheby’s pre-sale estimates valued the bowl, which measures just 12.7cm in diameter, at between US$200,000 to US$300,000.
The bowl sparked a sales battle before being snapped up by London dealer Guiseppe Eskenazi.
The only other known bowl of the same size, form and almost identical decoration has been in the collection of the British Museum in London for over 60 years, according to Sotheby’s.
Photo: Reuters
照片:路透
(Liberty Times)
美國一場舊貨拍賣活動上以約三美元價格買入的稀有中國碗,三月十九日在紐約一場拍賣會上以兩百二十萬美元賣出。
這個出自北宋的定窯碗,在二○○七年被人以三美元買下。
這個碗「是二○○七年夏天在委託人住家附近的一場舊貨拍賣活動上,花幾美元買的」,蘇富比公司的塞希莉亞.梁說。「當時,買家不知道他們撿到了一個千年寶物。」
這名曾經擁有此碗的人,把這個碗放在他們家客廳好幾年後,對它的來歷產生好奇,就把它送交鑑定。蘇富比在拍賣前預估這個直徑只有十二點七公分的碗,價值約二十萬到三十萬美元之間。
這個碗引起競標,最後由倫敦商人吉瑟比.艾斯肯納齊搶得。
根據蘇富比說法,目前所知唯一另一個同尺寸、形式和裝飾幾乎一模一樣的碗,已由倫敦大英博物館收藏六十多年。
(自由時報/翻譯:管淑平)
The strongest earthquake to hit Taiwan in 25 years killed at least 16 people and damaged dozens of buildings, but the destruction was largely contained thanks to decades of preparedness work. Taiwan sits on the “Ring of Fire,” an arc of intense seismic activity along the Pacific Rim, and — much like neighboring Japan — has a long history of catastrophic quakes. How does April 3 compare with other recent quakes? The April 3 earthquake, which measured 7.4 on the moment magnitude scale, was felt across Taiwan. It was the most severe since a 7.6 magnitude quake in 1999 killed
Around the time of the Dragon Boat Festival in June, the streets of Taiwan are filled with the delightful aroma of zongzi, a traditional snack made of sticky rice wrapped in leaves. The leaves are folded into a cone and then filled with sticky rice and other ingredients such as braised pork belly, peanuts and salted duck egg yolks. The filled leaves are then tightly tied with kitchen twine and ready for cooking. 每到六月端午時節,街頭巷尾就會飄出粽子的香氣。粽子是將糯米包進粽葉的傳統美食,先將粽葉折成圓錐狀塞入糯米,以及紅燒肉、花生、鹹鴨蛋黃等配料,用棉線綁緊後即可烹煮。 Dragon Boat Festival (n. phr.) 端午節 aroma
Everyone has seen a piece of fruit turn brown after being cut. Have you ever wondered why that happens? It is a common phenomenon that occurs due to a chemical reaction called enzymatic browning. The appearance, flavor and nutritional value of the fruit are all affected by this reaction. Some fruits, such as apples, pears, bananas, avocados and peaches, are more prone to enzymatic browning than others. These fruits contain high levels of an enzyme called polyphenol oxidase, or PPO for short. __1__ This causes a chain of chemical reactions that ultimately transforms the phenolic compounds into
There are several methods to prevent or slow down enzymatic browning in fruit. __3__ This lowers the pH level of the fruit tissue, causing the PPO to be far less active. Another method is to store the fruit in an airtight container or to wrap it tightly with plastic wrap. Doing this will reduce its exposure to oxygen. __4__ Although fruit that has undergone enzymatic browning may look less appealing, it is still safe to eat. However, by using one of these simple methods, you can enjoy fresh-looking fruit for a longer period. 有一些方法能避免或減緩水果的酶促褐變。其中一個有效的方式就是在切片水果的表面塗上酸性物質,像是檸檬汁或醋。這樣做能降低水果組織的酸鹼值,讓 PPO 更不為活躍。另一個方式是將水果存放在密封的容器內,或用保鮮膜將其緊緊包住。這樣做會減少水果與氧氣的接觸。快速蒸一下切片水果或將其短暫浸泡在滾水中也能使PPO失去活性,並終止 PPO 與空氣的作用。 雖然經歷酶促褐變的水果可能看起來較不吸引人,但仍然可以安全食用。然而,藉由採用這些簡單方法中的其中一個,你就能在更長的一段時間享用看起來新鮮的水果。 What Did You