Buddha statue bought for just over SEK 20 sells for SEK 2.44 million
A small Buddha statue purchased for over SEK 20 at a Uppsala flea market turned out to be a rare artifact from the Ming dynasty's Yongle period. After resting in obscurity for years, it astonishingly sold for SEK 2,437,500 at auction. This remarkable sale captivated attention worldwide, showcasing the valuable insights into art history that can emerge from seemingly insignificant finds.
A tiny Buddha statue, purchased for just over SEK 20 at a Swedish flea market in the 1980s, has unexpectedly sold for SEK 2.44 million at a Stockholms Auktionsverk Asian Fine Art Sale on December 11, 2025. The gilt-bronze sculpture of Shakyamuni Buddha, which had remained unnoticed in a private Swedish home for decades, was identified as a rare Ming dynasty piece worth more than 120,000 times its original price.
The auction house emphasized the sculpture's refined details and quality, noting its connection to the imperial Ming workshops, and described it as an example of early Ming aesthetics.
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