I think that the high price might have been a consequence of “wishful thinking”: buyers were under impression that the wavy lines were an example of Tipu’s favourite “ Bubris”.
The auction’ description did not help much: any mention of bubris and Tipu were carefully omitted. Perhaps from the genuine lack of knowledge, perhaps with the intent to let buyers think they got an under-researched treasure. The incredibly high starting bid might have been a hint that the auction knew something important.
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