“Min” Fanglei

A group of private collectors from Hunan province has offered to purchase a world renowned Chinese relic and return it to the region where it was made more than 3,000 years ago.

The “Min” Fanglei, a massive bronze ritual wine vessel that dates from the late Shang or early Western Zhou periods (12th–11th century BC), was originally sold at Christie's auction house in New York in 2001 for $9.2 million.

The so called “King of Fangleis,” which is described by Christie’s as “magnificent and highly important,” was scheduled to be auctioned by Christie’s once again on March 20.

One day before the expected sale, however, the auction house issued a release saying that the owner of the ancient artifact had accepted a private offer from the private consortium from Hunan.

The group, which reportedly paid at least $20 million for the “Min” Fanglei, said it would donate the object to the Hunan Provincial Museum, allowing the masterpiece to be united with its original lid kept at the museum.

“We are pleased to have brought together our consignor and these collectors resulting in this excellent outcome that will allow the ‘King of all Fangleis’ to go back to its place of origin in Hunan,” the Christie’s release said.

Museums have been attempting to reunite the two artifacts for years. “After the agreement, the ‘King of all Fangleis’ will go back to its place of origin in two months,” said Tan Guobin, one of the buyers.

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