A 17th-century Chinese vase discovered on a chest of drawers in a Northamptonshire farmhouse is expected to fetch thousands at auction.
The piece was identified by Paul Fox, an antiques valuer at Hanson Holloway’s in Banbury during a routine house visit.
It has a guide price of £2,000-£4,000.
Mr Fox said: "It was tucked away among more modern Chinese ceramics on top of a chest of drawers.
"It took my eye and immediately struck me as important.
"It has been identified as a Chinese blue and white bottle vase, Transitional Period, which means it probably dates back to 1640.
"Incredibly, that makes it around 380 years old.
“We traced the provenance and it appears to have come out of China well before the 20th century."
The item has been handed down through the family over eight or nine generations.
It comes from an ancestor of the owner who went to India, eventually rising to the position of governor of Fort St George, a fortress at the coastal city of Chennai.
This high rank allowed him to acquire fine porcelain pieces like this vase, which travelled back with his son when he returned to the UK.
Mr Fox added: "Beautiful historical objects like this are in huge demand with wealthy Chinese collectors.
"They are keen to repatriate important antiques to their homeland to honour and celebrate their country’s exceptional ceramics heritage."
The lot will feature in Hanson Holloway’s March 2 silver, jewellery, watches, fine art and antiques auction in Banbury.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here