Vase owned by Charlotte department store heiress sells for $2.45 million at auction

A vase belonging to Sarah Belk Gambrell, the late Charlotte philanthropist and Belk department store heiress, sold for $2.45 million at an auction in New York City on Monday.

The falangcai vase was created sometime between 1735 and 1796 during the reign of Chinese Emperor Qianlong, according to Doyle Auction House. With a pre-sale estimate of $100,000 to $300,000, the vase’s price increased more than 800% at auction.

Gambrell died in 2020 at 102. The only daughter of Belk department store chain founder Henry Belk left behind a philanthropic legacy and an extensive collection of English and Continental porcelain.

On June 24, Doyle held the auction of The Sarah Belk Gambrell Collection of European Porcelain, which brought in more than $1 million.

The falangcai vase has a four-character mark in blue indicating its origin as a product of the Qianlong Emperor’s imperial workshop, Doyle said. Falangcai, or “foreign colors,” were the rarest artworks made by the imperial workshop based in the Forbidden City palace in Beijing, China.

Relatively few falangcai wares were produced during the Qianlong Emperor’s long reign. Of the small number still in existence, most are now in major world museums, according to Doyle.

At 4 7/8 inches tall, the falangcai vase is decorated with a continuous scene of two European women and a child in a garden, reflecting the Qianlong Emperor’s admiration for the European aesthetic, Doyle said.

“Though the significance of the Sarah Belk Gambrell Vase in terms of its history, quality and value in today’s Chinese arts market makes it a singular highlight of her marvelous porcelain collection, it will never cease to be a study piece,” Doyle said. “It reveals in its subject matter the history of 17th and 18th century imperial court artistry.”

English and Continental furniture and decorative arts from Gambrell’s home in the Eastover neighborhood of Charlotte, and her New York apartment on Park Avenue, will be auctioned at Doyle on Oct. 13. Gambrell’s Old Master paintings and English and Continental silver will be auctioned on Nov. 10.

Gambrell’s love of the arts and music led to gifts being donated to organizations including the Mint Museums, the Charlotte Philharmonic Orchestra, Opera Carolina, the Charlotte Museum of History and the Hezekiah Alexander Foundation, the Observer previously reported. Her outstanding contributions to the Charlotte arts led to her receiving a Spirit Award in 1996.

Before her death, Gambrell served on the national New York City and Charlotte YWCA boards and was an advocate for women and other marginalized groups nationwide.