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BNPS.co.uk (01202 558833)<br />
Pic: Dukes/BNPS<br />
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Isabella (8) and Oliver (6) Schwinge are dwarfed by the vases.<br />
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A pair of enormous 200-year-old Chinese vases that were given to a<br />
church minister as thanks for saving a boy's life have come to light.<br />
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They had been a gift to The Reverend Samuel Edward Valpy Filleul by a<br />
rich trader who he had rescued from drowing years before.<br />
<br />
The rare 5ft porcelain antiques were recently stumbled on in the<br />
hallway of a house - and are now tipped to fetch upwards of £100,000.<br />
<br />
The Reverend Filleul had been fishing by a river in the late 1800s<br />
when he heard cries for help and rushed to the rescue of the boy.<br />
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The pair became friends and the Reverend paid for the boy to go to school.<br />
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Thanks to his education the boy grew up to become a successful trader,<br />
making his fortune in China.<br />
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As thanks for saving his life, he shipped two giant vases to his mentor.<br />
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The vases, intricately decorated with Chinese myths, are thought to<br />
come from the reign of Daoguang, the Qing Dynasty Emperor, who ruled<br />
over China from 1820 to 1850.