Search
07 Sept 2025
Search
07 Sept 2025
Please allow ads as they help fund our trusted local news content.
Kindly add us to your ad blocker whitelist.
If you want further access to Ireland's best local journalism, consider contributing and/or subscribing to our free daily Newsletter .
Support our mission and join our community now.
To continue reading this article, you can subscribe for as little as €0.50 per week which will also give you access to all of our premium content and archived articles!
Alternatively, you can pay €0.50 per article, capped at €1 per day.
Thank you for supporting Ireland's best local journalism!
A mysterious Chinese bronze artefact has been consigned to Sheppard's Irish Auction House in Durrow for its upcoming sale at the end of November.
The artefact’s owner reached out to Sheppard’s after watching the More4 television series Country House Auction.
The show, filmed over four episodes at Castle Durrow, featured the Sheppard family conducting a sale and it piqued the owner's interest.
READ NEXT: Tesco update on opening plans for outlet in Kilkenny
This gilded bronze piece has left experts baffled. Featuring a six-character reign mark of the Yongle Emperor, the artefact is adorned with a dragon head motif over scrolling lotus sprays. However, whether it is a sceptre or a mace remains unclear.
Researchers have noted similarities between this artefact and a 14th-century Sino-Tibetan ritual scraper in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.
Sheppard's are now collaborating with specialists in Sino-Tibetan artefacts to uncover more information about this intriguing object.
Subscribe or register today to discover more from DonegalLive.ie
Buy the e-paper of the Donegal Democrat, Donegal People's Press, Donegal Post and Inish Times here for instant access to Donegal's premier news titles.
Keep up with the latest news from Donegal with our daily newsletter featuring the most important stories of the day delivered to your inbox every evening at 5pm.
This publication supports the work of the Press Council of Ireland and Office of the Press Ombudsman, and our staff operate within the Code of Practice of the Press Council. You can obtain a copy of the Code, or contact the Council, at www.presscouncil.ie, Lo-call 1800 208 080 or email: info@presscouncil.ie.
