Family finds late grandma’s travel souvenirs worth nearly $50,000

By Filipa Gaspar

A woman has been left stunned after discovering a hidden collection of art left by her grandmother was worth almost $50,000.

Emma Davey found a chest of “travel souvenirs” acquired by her grandmother Nan Brake during the 1950s while living in China.

The works remained in her family home for more than 40 years following her death in 1985.

A routine valuation by specialist Ruixue Li at Roseberys Auctioneers uncovered what she describes as "an astonishing collection of Chinese art, with excellent Imperial pieces."

Davey said: "We always thought of these objects as mementos of our grandmother.

"We had no idea they were so valuable, or had so much history.

"We used to dress up in the silks as children."

Li believes that a Qing dynasty dragon robe in the collection, worth up to $15,000, was made to be worn by a member of the Emperor’s family, given the presence of five of the Twelve Symbols of Imperial Authority.

It likely dates to the Jiaqing period, making it up to 230 years old.

“My grandmother told us of her acquaintance with the last eunuch of China,” says Davey.

“Although anecdotal, it’s possible that was how she acquired some of the Imperial works in the collection.”

Li added: “Whether or not Nan Brake knew precisely what she had, she clearly had a keen eye for exceptional objects."

The preview at Roseberys’ new Belgravia gallery marks the first time the collection, spanning textiles, jades, paintings and decorative works, will be seen by the public.

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They will be sold in the May 12 Chinese, Japanese & Southeast Asian Art auction.

Brake, also known as Nan Green, led an extraordinary life, shaped by her commitment to socialism and extensive travels.

Born in Beeston, Nottinghamshire in 1904, she became active in left-wing politics in the late 1920s, initially joining the Independent Labor Party before later becoming a branch secretary of the Communist Party of Great Britain.

She volunteered during the Spanish Civil War, working with medical units attached to the International Brigades. Her first husband was killed by General Franco’s forces.

In 1952 she traveled to China as an interpreter for an international conference, at a time when Mandarin-Spanish translators were almost nonexistent.

Davey said: “People in China would often say things in front of her in Mandarin, assuming that a British woman wouldn’t be able to speak the language. They were always shocked when she replied!”

She went on to live in Peking between 1953 and 1960, working on the English-language publication China Reconstructs (now China Today), as well as subtitling films and undertaking reporting assignments.

During this period, she traveled extensively across the country, collecting objects directly from markets and dealers.

She described these excursions as “junking,” recording vivid impressions in diaries and letters sent home.

"My grandmother was a singular woman,” says Davey.

"While other children were eating shepherd’s pie, we were going to Berwick Street market to find Chinese ingredients, which was unusual at the time.

"She was very cosmopolitan."

Bill Forrest, head of Chinese, Japanese & Southeast Asian Art at Roseberys, said: "This extraordinary collection was acquired during a formative moment in the early years of the People’s Republic of China.

"It offers an important record of the antiques trade at a time of profound change, and it is exceptionally rare to encounter a collection with this level of provenance and personal context intact."