DALLAS — Bidders were wide awake on a pair of Chinese blue and white porcelain vases that sold far above the $1,5/2,000 estimate to bring $127,000 at Dallas Auction Gallery’s March 27 sale. According to the auctioneer, the consignor was from California.

The buyer, who has been a Dallas Auction Gallery customer for a long time, is based in China. Both vases featured blue lotus and vine decoration on a white background and sat on finely detailed octagonal cloisonne mounts, each vase featuring a pair of applied cloisonne cranes. On their mounts, the vases would measure 22 inches high.

Auctioneer Jerry Holley was pleased with the surprise. “To tell you the truth, the Chinese articles are the hardest to know,” he said. “It’s a funny market, and we have a Chinese expert who works for us and has for years. We used to see surprises in the American antiques market, and you don’t see that as much anymore but you do see it in Chinese material. It was just a matter of two people who really wanted it.”

For additional information, www.dallasauctiongallery.com or 214-653-3900.