In a final attempt to collect his £53 million, a retired Island solicitor from Ventnor has flown to China this week.
Anthony Johnson, formally of RJR Solicitors, went to auction in November with his Qing vase that was estimated to sell for £800,000; however Mr Johnson watched the bidding continue until the astonishing final selling price of £53 million.
Five months later and Mr Johnson is yet to receive a penny from the Shanghai buyer, who is believed to be one of the wealthiest industrialists in China, with strong links to the Chinese government.
The 54-year-old Island resident and his 85-year-old mother inherited the vase, dating back to 1740, after her sister’s husband passed away.
Accompanying Mr Johnson to China is auctioneer Peter Bainbridge, who sold the vase. It is believed that if the money is not secured, the vase may go back under the hammer.
It has been rumoured that agents from the Chinese Government were sent to bid on the item with no intention of paying up, in what is described as a protest against the sale of treasures looted from the country. This has not been confirmed.
Legitimately, the Chinese government set up the ‘Lost Cultural Relics Recovery Program’ in 2002 to reclaim artefacts, primarily buying back antiques.
