Chinese Bodhisattva — $2 Million — Garage Sale Find

Chinese Bodhisattva — $2 Million — Garage Sale Find

📰 📽️ 📅 2019 Report: A Chinese gilt-bronze Buddhist figure bought for about $75–$100 at a 1999 garage sale in Kirkwood, Missouri, sold for $2.06 million at Sotheby’s New York on March 20, 2019, against a $60,000–$80,000 estimate. A PBS Antiques Roadshow expert had valued it at $100,000–$125,000 retail in 2017. The sculpture returned to auction in September 2026, selling for a reported $2.048 million.

█ Source, story, video, images: Sotheby’s 🔗

█ Additional resources:

Records

Reports

The Garage Sale Discovery

In 1999, a woman visited a garage sale in Kirkwood, Missouri, despite believing dealers had already picked through the best merchandise. She was hosting guests for lunch but wanted to see the sale, and a damaged gilt-bronze figure caught her attention.

She later told PBS Antiques Roadshow that she found the sculpture beautiful, despite a missing arm and worn gilding. She paid approximately $75–$100.

Sotheby’s documented an unusually clear ownership trail: the sculpture had belonged to collector Trezevant Branam Winfrey by 1968 and passed from his estate to the garage-sale buyer in 1999.

An Antiques Roadshow Appraisal—and a Revised Identification

At a 2017 Antiques Roadshow event in St. Louis, specialist Robert Waterhouse identified the figure as Wenshu, a Chinese Buddhist bodhisattva, tentatively dating it to the early Ming dynasty, around the 15th century.

He suggested a conservative retail value of $100,000–$125,000, while acknowledging that a possible imperial connection could not be proved.

Subsequent Sotheby’s catalog research assigned an earlier date and different identification: Cintamanicakra Avalokiteshvara, a rare form of Guanyin associated with compassion in Chinese Buddhism, from the late Tang dynasty or Five Dynasties period.

The sculpture measures approximately 16.5 centimeters tall. Its surviving details include elaborate robes and jewelry, a lotus-shaped base and attributes associated with the six-armed deity, including a wish-granting jewel.

Sotheby’s compared the sculpture with related early Buddhist figures and imagery from the Mogao Caves at Dunhuang, China.

Two Million-Dollar Auctions, Seven Years Apart

Sotheby’s offered the bronze as lot 553 in its Important Chinese Art auction in New York on March 20, 2019.

Its presale estimate was $60,000–$80,000—below the earlier Roadshow retail valuation, illustrating the importance of distinguishing auction estimates from retail appraisals.

After seven minutes of bidding, it realized $2,060,000, according to Sotheby’s subsequent sale report—more than 25 times the auction’s high estimate.

The same figure resurfaced as lot 63 at Sotheby’s New York on Sept. 16, 2026, with a higher estimate of $600,000–$800,000.

Auction reporting by The Value recorded a $1.6 million hammer price and a $2,048,000 total including fees—slightly below the nominal 2019 result.

The second sale provided another documented market result for a sculpture originally purchased for less than $100.

Discovery at a Glance

  • Object: Gilt-bronze figure of Cintamanicakra Avalokiteshvara
  • Period: Late Tang dynasty / Five Dynasties, China
  • Discovery: 1999, Kirkwood, Missouri, United States
  • Category: Garage Sale Find
  • Original purchase: Approximately $75–$100
  • 2017 PBS retail valuation: $100,000–$125,000
  • 2019 Sotheby’s estimate: $60,000–$80,000
  • 2019 completed sale: $2,060,000 — March 20
  • 2026 Sotheby’s estimate: $600,000–$800,000
  • Latest documented sale: $2,048,000 including fees — Sept. 16, 2026
  • Significance: Rare early Chinese Buddhist bronze, with documented provenance extending to at least 1968.

🔎 Could You Have Something Valuable?

Research Antique Buddhist Sculptures

Have an old Buddha, bodhisattva, or other Buddhist sculpture? Materials, craftsmanship, identifying features, condition, and documented ownership can help specialists assess an object's age and significance.

Quick Research Steps

  1. Identify: Photograph all sides and the base. Record dimensions, materials, gilding, damage, markings, distinctive features, and any ownership history.
  2. Compare: Search completed specialist auction sales for similar sculptures. Compare age, materials, workmanship, condition, and provenance. Distinguish hammer prices from totals including fees.
  3. Verify: Cross-check museum collections and specialist catalogs. Consult a qualified Asian art specialist before cleaning, polishing, repairing, or testing a potentially valuable sculpture.

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