A 13th century Chinese sculpture is valuable enough but Mossgreen auction specialists in Australia discovered something even more precious tucked within the head of a large wooden sculpture of Luohan. A rare Ming Dynasty banknote was discovered hidden within the cavity of a the sculpture which is headed to London for viewing on November 3? November 6 at The […]The post Auction Reveals Sculpture With A Lucrative Secret appeared first on Pursuitist.

A 13th century Chinese sculpture is valuable enough but Mossgreen auction specialists in Australia discovered something even more precious tucked within the head of a large wooden sculpture of Luohan.A rare Ming Dynasty banknote was discovered hidden within the cavity of a the sculpture which is headed to London for viewing on November 3? November 6 at The Beaumont Hotel, 8 Balderton Street, Brown Hart Gardens, London W1K 6TF (by appointment). Luohan is a Chinese word used to describe those who have completed the four stages of Enlightenment and reached the state of Nirvana. The facial features in this image of Luohan are superbly defined, and it wears a wise, serene expression as if it knew the secret it contained.The banknote found inside the sculpture is stamped with three official red seals and dated the third year of the Ming Dynasty, the Hong Wu period (1368-1398). The note is inscribed “Da Ming Tong Xing Bao Chao”, “Yi Guan” and the lower section is inscribed: “Authorized by the D...