Eight o’clock of December 16, 2019 marked a sensational victory for Xiling Yinshe 2019 Autumn Auction·15th Anniversary after 55 hour-long biddings throughout four days. Total sales of RMB 1.66 billion and sale rate of 85.35% are not only a remarkable gift for her anniversary but also a perfect closure of the journey she has taken so far. The historical moment witnessed the dramatic progress she has made along the path towards the new centurial goal of the Xiling Society of Seal Arts. Great gratitude to those who have offered friendship and precious advices!
35 sales are filled with excellent masterpieces. 12 of them collected encouraging responses from the market as their sale rates exceeded 90% and 15 lots were sold at more than RMB 10 million. In retrospect of the hard work in the past one and a half decades, we have understood the new era, taken an in-depth look at the domestic economy to pursue the growth of the art market over a long term and showed our power of breaking the industry cycle. Bearing the cultural heritage of the Xiling Society of Seal Arts, we have also combined our brand with our competitive advantage in the auction industry to form a strong thrust for the steady development of the company in the past fifteen years.
Rooted in Chinese Paintings and Calligraphy to Spread the Traditional Value
As one of our core businesses, Chinese paintings and calligraphy continued its momentum in quality and quantity . The classical as well as modern and contemporary Chinese paintings and calligraphy attracted tremendous attentions of collectors who showed great enthusiasm. Consequently, the bidding records are constantly refreshed.
Lot 937 Wen Jia Land of Pangu
Sale Price: RMB 20,125,000
The highest sale price of the work by the artist.
There are nine sales for the Chinese paintings and calligraphy, ending up with a total sale of RMB 700 million with seven lots exceeding RMB 10 million. Among them is the sale of Classical Chinese Paintings & Calligraphy which collected RMB 288.6 million with its champion lot Land of Pangu by Wen Jia, sold at RMB 20.125 million, a record price of his work. Poem of Tang Dynasty in Cursive Script by Zhang Ruitu was sold at RMB 14.95 million, capping the record of this kind in the domestic market. And the Letters between Zhao Zhiqian and Pan Zuyin closed a deal at RMB 9.2 million, the highest one for Zhao’s letter.
Lot 923 Zhang Ruitu Poem of Tang Dynasty in Cursive Script
Sale Price: RMB 14,950,000
The highest price of Zhang Ruitu’s scroll works in China.
Lot 1026 Zhao Zhiqian and Pan Zuyin Letters
Starting Price: RMB 3,000,000
Sale Price: RMB 9,200,000
The highest price of Zhao Zhiqian’s letters
The sale of Chinese paintings and calligraphy collected by masters was really eye-catching. Three sales, i.e., Chinese Paintings & Calligraphy Collected by Jingfengtang, Letters by Scholars of Ming Dynasty Collected by Wuliutang and Chinese Paintings & Calligraphy Collected by Jingxiutang (Chinese Paintings & Calligraphy Dedicated to and Collected by Gu Tiefu), performed fantastically. As a ‘white glove’ sale, Letters by Scholars of Ming Dynasty Collected by Wuliutang ended up with a total sale of RMB 27.2 million despite that all of its lots bid from RMB 30,000. There are 10 lots sold over RMB 1 million. The letters by Wen Zhengming, Wu Kuan, Xiang Yuanbian, Zhu Yunming, Zhou Tianqiu, Gu Lin, Chen Yuansu, Luo Hongxian and Huang Jishui were all sold at record prices as a single piece of artwork, including a letter by Wen Zhengming, sized around 500 cm2, was sold at RMB 2.645 million, and a letter by Wu Kuan sold at RMB 2.3 million.
Lot 763 Wen Zhengming Letter in Running Script
Starting Price: RMB 30,000
Sale Price: RMB 2,645,000
Lot 762 Wu Kuan Letter in Running Script
Starting Price: RMB 30,000
Sale Price: 2,300,000
90% of lots from Chinese Paintings & Calligraphy Collected by Jingfengtang and Chinese Paintings & Calligraphy Collected by Jingxiutang (Chinese Paintings & Calligraphy Dedicated to and Collected by Gu Tiefu) were sold, including Calligraphy in Official Script by the loyal official Huang Daozhou, which was sold at a record price of RMB 10.925 million.
Lot 3086 Huang Daozhou Calligraphy in Official Script
Sale Price: RMB 10,925,000
The highest price for Huang Daozhou’s works
Reputed Oil and Watercolor Paintings Featuring Masters’ Styles
In the sale of Modern and Contemporary Oil Paintings and Sculpture, there were two highlights painted by Liu Haisu. One was Suzhou River painted in 1957 and the other Rooster Fighting painted in 1962. They started bidding at RMB 15 million and 7 million, and closed a deal at RMB 36.34 million and RMB 17.25 million respectively, pushing the price of Liu’s oil paintings to another record.
Lot 297 Liu Haisu Suzhou River
Sale Price: RMB 36,340,000
The highest price for Liu Haisu’s oil paintings
Themed with the destiny of the whole nation and an individual respectively, Suzhou River and Rooster Fighting represent the great artistic achievement of the master, signifying not just a vital contribution he made but also a milestone for the Chinese art education. It cannot be ignored that the works created by the pioneer at his peak in the modern Chinese art history were highly recognized by the market through the platform of Xiling Yinshe Auction.
Lot 1298 Liu Haisu Rooster Fighting
Sale Price: RMB 17,250,000
The highest price for Liu Haisu’s oil paintings
It should be noted that many a work created by Liu Haisu in his critical moments were auctioned by us: Church in Paris and Snowscape in Luxembourg hit the record then. His work Kermis in Shanghai painted in 1962 later broke the record in Xiling Yinshe 2014 Autumn Auction 10th Anniversary Auction, and now it is evidenced again that in the Xiling Yinshe 2019 Autumn Auction·15th Anniversary, Suzhou River and Rooster Fighting, painted at the culmination of his art career made another record. The sale of Modern and Contemporary Oil Paintings and Sculpture achieved a good result with a total sale of RMB 123,120,000 and sale rate of 87%!
Ancient Books and Rubbings Mirroring Zhejiang in Ancient Times
Fine Ancient Books and Ink Rubbings of Xiling Yinshe 2019 Autumn Auction·15th Anniversary inherited the philosophy of ‘Fewer but better’ and presented 253 lots from Zhang Tingji’s works and collections, including Zhou San Jia Yi inscribed by Zhang Tingji, Wu Changshuo, Wang Guowei, Luo Zhenyu, etc.,oracle bones collected by Liu E and Liu Yizheng as well as rubbings, transcripts, impressions and books such as Wang Bo Ji written in Tang Dynasty. On top of that, there were also collections from celebrities and masters like Guo Ruoyu, Gu Tiefu, Zhou Lianxia, Sun Yufeng and so forth. The turnover of the sale reached a remarkable result of RMB 41.5 million.
Lot 48 [Zhang Tingji, Wu Changshuo, Wang Guowei, Luo Zhenyu, etc.] Zhou San Jia Yi
Sale Price: RMB 5,405,000
Lot
58 [Liu E and Liu Yizheng] Oracle Bones
of Yin Dynasty
Sale Price: RMB 4.255 million
Lot 76 Wang Bo Ji (Incomplete), Tang Dynasty
Sale Price: RMB 2,415,000
Lot 74 Mahaparinirvana Sutra (Vol. 29), Tang Dynasty
Starting Price: RMB 300,000
Sale Price: RMB 2,415,000
Lot 50 [Wang Shu, Zhang Tingji, Dai Xi, etc.] Tang Jiu Cheng Gong Li Quan Ming
Starting Price: RMB 500,000
Sale Price: RMB 1,725,000
Important Letters and Manuscripts: One Decade of Persisting in Historical and Academic Study
At the historical moment of celebrating the centurial echo of the thunder of the May 4th Movement, Xiling Yinshe Auction specifically put forward the sale of Important Letters and Manuscripts: The Centennial Anniversary of the May 4th Movement to memorize the pioneers of the movement and inherit their patriotism. The long letter written by Chen Duxiu to Huang Binhong is the only one discovered so far. The letter is about Chen’s reply to Huang Binhong, who was chief editor of Guo Shi Bao newspaper. A small painting album by Hu Shi, Xu Zhimo, Shao Xunmei, He Tianjian and Ye Gongchao to Lu Xiaoman and an important autograph letter signed by Zhu Ziqing to Chen Mengjia about the re-opening of Tsinghua University and Wen Yiduo were ardently bid by collectors. As a result, the sale reached a turnover of RMB 55.15 million with a sale rate of 86.31%.
Lot 5040 Chen Duxiu Autograph Letter Signed to Huang Binhong about New Youth Magazine
Sale Price: RMB 2,702,500
Lot 5022 Hu Shi, Xu Zhimo, Shao Xunmei, He Tianjian, Ye Gongchao Painting and Calligraphy
Starting Price: RMB 280,000
Sale Price: RMB 1,725,000
Lot 4995 Zhu Ziqing Important Autograph Letter Signed to Chen Mengjia about the Re-opening of Tsinghua University and Wen Yiduo
Starting Price: RMB 100,000
Sale Price: RMB 920,000
Inheritance of the Spirit of the Centurial Society through Seal Arts
The ‘Four Masters’, including Wu Yin and scholars like Wu Changshuo, all insisted on the inheritance of traditional paintings and seal arts, preservation of Chinese cultural quintessence, thus establishing the first society of seal arts at Gushan by the West Lake. From then on, the philosophy of ‘Preservation of seals and study of seal arts’ has emerged as the tenet of the society. After fifteen years of development, we have fully excavated the value of the single sale like seals and inkstones and created the ‘First Sale of Tianhuang Stone’, ‘First Sale of Inkstones from Different Dynasties’, ‘Chinese Paintings and Calligraphy by Masters from Late Qing Dynasty’, ‘Three Kinds of Precious Stones for Seal Cutting’ and ‘Entertaining Seals by Masters’ which have continued until now. The 15th anniversary auction contains four sales of seals and inkstones, i.e., Seal Cuttings by Masters of Various Schools, Study Series·Seal Cuttings by Modern and Contemporary Chinese Masters, Study Series·Exquisite Tianhuang Stone Carvings and Master's Seals and Study Series·Fine Inkstones and Inksticks. As the highlights of the anniversary auction, the four sales all achieved great accomplishments with a turnover of RMB 117 million, and the sale of Seal Cuttings by Masters of Various Schools was a ‘white glove’ sale.
The Tianhuang stone ‘chi’ seal engraved by Chen Julai for Wu Hufan’s private use with its impression of ‘Ming Xin Jue Pin’ discovered on thirteen great works had attracted many attentions even before the auction. It started its bidding at the price of RMB 60,000, which was soon surpassed by RMB 500,000 from a bidding on spot and later RMB 1 million from a telephone bidder, and it reached RMB 1.84 million eventually after fierce bidding.
Lot 397 Qing Dynasty A Qingtian Stone Seal Engraved by Chen Hongshou
Sale Price: RMB 2,530,000
The highest price for Chen Hongshou’s works
Lot 313 Qing Dynasty A Tianhuang Stone Seal
Sale Price: RMB 5,060,000
The price is as high as RMB 82,500 per gram.
Lot 287 A Pair of Shoushan ‘Furong’ Stone ‘Chi’ Seals Engraved by Qi Baishi for Qian Dajun’s Private Use
Sale Price: RMB 2,300,000
Lot 5468 Qianlong Period, Qing Dynasty A Fine Duan Inkstone with Imperial Inscription
Starting Price: RMB 3,800,000
Sale Price: 13,800,000
Hit the Record of inkstone sale
Lot 5458 A Duan Inkstone with Buffalo Pattern Inscribed by Wu Changshuo and Collected by Shen Shiyou
Sale Price: RMB 3,795,000
Lot 5490 An Inkstone with ‘Suanni’ Pattern Made by Chen Duanyou
Starting Price: RMB 600,000
Sale Price: RMB 2,300,000
The highest price for the inkstone made by Chen Duanyou
Refined Articles in the Study Symbolize Noble Sentiments of the Scholars
The sale of Refined Articles in the Study of the Xiling Yinshe 2019 Autumn Auction was dedicated to preserving the charm of ancient scholars and integrating art in people’s daily life. Apart from quality and value, we endeavored to promise that every lot boasted its own beauty and charm. The eight sales in this category include, among others, Everlasting Glory·Refined Articles in the Study, Refined Articles in the Study Collected by Li Chengfa, Study Series·Refined Articles in the Study, Inexhaustible Delight·Refined Articles in the Study, Important Chinese Bronzes, Chinese Ceramics of Ming and Qing Dynasties, contributed to a collection totaling RMB 280 million. The sale of Chinese Ceramics of Song and Yuan Dynasties also had its debut in the Xiling Yinshe 2019 Autumn Auction.
Literati love to get together in the daytime, though, an evening sale was arranged by the Xiling Yinshe 2019 Autumn Auction on December 15, maintaining a high turnover rate of 91.26% with enthusiastic bidders’participation. Starting at 7 o’clock in the evening, the packed room was full of collectors competing for excellent jades, gold crafts, fine inkstones and other refined articles in the study. A jade ornament with immortal pattern, Cong, from Liangzhu Culture and a Duan inkstone inscribed by Zheng Qiao, Shao Qiran and Ji Xiaolan from Northern Song Dynasty led the sale, with a small and exquisite bamboo tea scoop with poem inscription helped reach the climax of that night.
Lot 3506 Liangzhu Culture A Jade Ornament with Immortal Pattern, Cong
Starting Price: RMB 1,200,000
Sale Price: RMB 5,865,000
Lot 3493 Northern Song Dynasty A Duan Inkstone Inscribed by Zheng Qiao, Shao Qiran and Ji Xiaolan
Sale Price: RMB 3,622,500
Lot
3528 Qing Dynasty A Bamboo Tea Scoop
with Poem Inscription
Starting Price: RMB 30,000
Sale Price: RMB 333,500
Study Series·Refined Articles in the Study
Lot 2135 Qianlong Period, Qing Dynasty A Superbly-Carved Mughal-Style White Jade Pot with Buddha Pattern and a Floral Finial
Starting Price: RMB 800,000
Sale Price: RMB 6,670,000
Lot 2489 Early Qing Dynasty An Eaglewood Brushpot with Scholar Pattern
Sale Price: RMB 3,220,000
Articles in the study have evolved into being more of ornamental than practical, which unveil the unique aesthetic taste of Chinese scholars. From its renowned inkstones to other delicate items, from the collection of famous celebrities to fresh properties on the auction market, Xiling Yinshe Auction aims to present the essence of refined articles in the study for the exploration of Chinese culture. The sale of Everlasting Glory·Refined Articles in the Study struck a chord with collectors with its exceptional and rare ‘Fengshi’-style ‘Guqin’and a bamboo wristrest with landscape pattern and ‘Zhou Zhiyan’ mark. The sale achieved 24.5387 million with many lots sold at exciting prizes.
Lot 1832 Yuan-Ming Dynasty A 'Fengshi'-Style 'Guqin'
Sale Price: RMB 1,265,000
Lot 1788 Qing Dynasty A Fine Zisha Inkstone with 'Qianlong' Mark
Starting Price: RMB 600,000
Sale Price: RMB 1,150,000
Lot 1730 Qing Dynasty A Bamboo Wristrest with Landscape Pattern and 'Zhou Zhiyan' Mark
Starting Price: RMB 20,000
Sale Price: RMB 1,035,000
Lot 1851 Ming Dynasty A Bronze Censer with Dragon and Phoenix Patterns and 'Xuande' Mark
Sale Price: RMB 747,500
Lot 1734 Modern Times A Pair Of Duan Inkstones Painted by Lu Yanshao and Engraved by Shen Juechu
Starting Price: RMB 180,000
Sale Price: RMB 471,500
The sale of Refined Articles in the Study Collected by Li Chengfa was a big hit totaling over RMB 13.38 million. Li Chengfa was the councilor of Li’s Clan Association and a sophisticated collector in Taiwan. He was an acquaintance with many great scholars, including Zhuang Yan, head of Taipei Palace Museum. Li served as an adviser to Chinese Museum in 1973 where he collected hundreds of thousands of antique articles. His collection were exhibited in America, Japan, Britain, etc.
The two sales of ceramics shone brightly in the auction. Collectors were quite satisfied with their trophies after intensive bidding battles. The lots ranging from Song to Qing Dynasty won wide recognition from collectors. The sale of Chinese Ceramics of Ming and Qing Dynasties demonstrated rare and marvelous imperial porcelain crafts of Qianlong period, bringing bidders to an age when fabulous ceramic works enchanted people around the world. The sale fetched RMB 52.1225 million.
Lot 4350 Kangxi Period, Qing Dynasty A Fine Black-Ground Sancai Vessel with Floral Pattern, Zun
Sale Price: RMB 7,475,000
Lot 4340 Yongzheng Period, Qing Dyansty A Blue-And-White Lobed Pot with 'Yongzheng' Mark
Sale Price: RMB 5,865,000
Lot 3528 Qianlong Period, Qing Dynasty A Turquoise-Ground Famille Rose Vase with Dragon Pattern and 'Qianlong' Mark
Sale Price: RMB 5,175,000
Lot 4359 Kangxi Period, Qing Dynasty An Underglaze Copper-Red Mallet-Shaped Vessel with Phoenix Pattern and 'Kangxi' Mark
Sale Price: RMB 3,565,000
The First Sale of Chinese Ceramics of Song and Yuan Dynasties boasted a well-preserved tradition of exploring humanistic charm from ancient ceramic works. The names of famous ancient kilns, Guan, Ru and Ge, were classic and elegant. You can only understand their connotations after a long time of study and meditation. Ceramics from the ancient kilns were of great collecting, historical and cultural values as time goes by. The sale was realized at RMB 70 million.
Lot 4192 Song Dynasty An Imperial ‘Jian’ Black-Glazed Tea Bowl
Starting Price: RMB 1,500,000
Sale Price: RMB 5,980,000
Lot 4161 Southern Song Dynasty A 'Ge' Tripod Brush Washer
Sale Price: RMB 3,220,000
Lot 4157 Southern Song Dynasty A Lobed 'Guan' Dish
Sale Price: RMB 2,530,000
Lot 4169 Five Dynasties-Northern Song Dynasty A 'Yaozhou' Jar with Peony Pattern
Sale Price: RMB 3,047,500
Lot 4155 Southern Song Dynasty A Lobed 'Longquan' Pale Celadon-Glazed Brush Washer
Sale Price: RMB 1,150,000
Two important bronze wares with literatures:
The bronze vessel with ‘Rui Gong’ mark was previously collected by the imperial court of Qing Dynasty and then by Gu Shouzang from Nanxun. Its pattern and inscription were recorded on Xi Qing Gu Jian, compiled by Liang Shizheng and other scholars in Qianlong period of Qing Dynasty. During the late Qing Dynasty to the Republic of China period, the bronze ware was illustrated in works by experts like Sheng Yu, Fang Junyi, Wu Dacheng, Liu Tizhi, Luo Zhenyu and Rong Geng.
Lot 3584 Early Spring And Autumn Period A Bronze Vessel with 'Rui Gong' Mark Collected by the Imperial Court of Qing Dynasty, Ding
Sale Price: RMB 11,730,000
Lot 3585 Late Shang Dynasty A Bronze Vessel with 'Xi' Mark, You
Sale Price: RMB 25,300,000
The bronze vessel with ‘Xi’ mark was known in as early as Qing Dynasty. It was previously collected by Luo Zhenyu. The inscription was recorded in Zi Shuo, composed by Wu Dacheng in 1893 and the picture of the original vessel without the handle can be found in Sequel to the Bronze Collection of Mengyicaotang Studio by Luo Zhenyu. It came to Japan in the Republic of China period where it was illustrated in World Exhibition of Antiquities by Yamanaka & Company in 1932. Later, it was added to the collection of Hisashi Okura in Tokyo, Eskenazi Limited in London, Ronald Laude in New York, etc. Up to now, the vessel has been illustrated and recorded for more than 20 times and exhibited in many countries.
Hundreds of original works for comic strips and illustrations were presented in the Xiling Yinshe 2019 Autumn Auction with masterpieces from Cheng Shifa, Liu Danzhai, Yang Yongqing, He Youzhi, etc. in the hope of collectors to join us in the review of the birth of fine arts in China, the development of comic strips and the value of art education. Zhu Xinjian’s brilliant works, Driving away Three Monsters and Story of the Spring Festival led the sale of Colors and Youth: Original Works for Comic Strips and Illustrations, which were sold at considerably higher prices than their pre-sale estimates. The sale of Comics & Cartoons by Chinese Masters performed well. Enthusiastic bidders struck around even it was 1 o’clock in the morning. The excitement was evidenced by a high sale rate of 87% by lots. One of Liu Wenxi’s masterpieces, Comrade Liu Zhidan at Northern Shaanxi , was sold for RMB 862,500 against an estimate of RMB 250,000.
Lot 1454 Zhu Xinjian (1953-2014) Original Works for the Comic Strip Driving away Three Monsters (Complete)
Starting Price: RMB 200,000
Sale Price: RMB 690,000
Lot 1455 Zhu Xinjian (1953-2014) Original Works for the Comic Strip Story of the Spring Festival (Complete)
Starting Price: RMB 200,000
Sale Price: RMB 828,000
Lot 1562 Liu Wenxi (1933-2019) Comrade Liu Zhidan at Northern Shaanxi
Starting Price: RMB 250,000
Sale Price: RMB 862,500
Ode to Fine Zisha Teapots and Benchmark of the Art History
The exciting auction week saw a strong performance of Zisha teapots, achieving a high turnover rate of 90% with enthusiastic bidders. The sale was led by a purple clay 'persimmon' teapot with a squirrel finial and 'Zishi' mark made by Chen Mingyuan, signed to Zishi, which was sold for RMB26.22 million after a prolonged battle. The finely-carved teapot was once collected by Zhang Tingji. From Shi Dabin to Chen Mansheng, it played a key role in the lineage of scholar’s teapot collection and the fact that it was sold at a remarkable price is a milestone for the sale of Zisha teapot at Xiling Yinshe Auction.
Lot 4571 Early Qing Dynasty A Purple Clay 'Persimmon' Teapot with a Squirrel Finial and 'Zishi' Mark Made by Chen Mingyuan, Signed To Zishi
Sale Price: RMB 26,220,000
Jewels Speak for East and West Aesthetics
The two jade sales were among the most sought-after categories. For ancient jade, a pale celadon jade vase with a 'lion' finial from Qing Dynasty was sold for a handsome RMB 2.875 million. Jade carvings by contemporary Chinese masters was led by four white jade plaques with landscape pattern made by Pang Ran, producing a very impressive result: RMB 2.185 million. Pang Ran integrated Song poetry and paintings to show the four-season landscape.
Lot 5766 Pang Ran (b. 1974) A Set of Four White Jade Plaques with Landscape Pattern
Sale Price: RMB 2,185,000
Lot 3967 Qing Dynasty A Pale Celadon Jade Vase with a 'Lion' Finial
Sale Price: RMB 2,875,000
Rare colored diamonds, stones, jadeite and antique jewels selected in the sale of Oriental Beauty: Magnificent Jewels, fetched RMB 1,150 million and set a new record in this category for Xiling Yinshe Auction. Jadeite, the apple of many Chinese collectors’ eyes, surprises the jewels auction market. An icy jadeite 'fingered-citron' pendant realized over RMB 10 million after several minutes of intense bidding. Antique jewels were another highlights in the auction. A Victorian diamond tiara made by Chaumet in 1972 and a colored gem and gilt-silver jewelry case by Katayam added Western classic charm to the sale.
Lot 3819 An Icy Jadeite 'Fingered-Citron' Pendant
Sale Price: RMB 10,235,000
Market Inspired by the Great Auction Results
All the sales were doing well in the Xiling Yinshe 2019 Autumn Auction. The sale of Elegant and Magnificent·Chinese Buddhist Art attracted great attention before the auction with its competitive lots. A bronze figure of Sakyamuni from early Ming Dynasty opened at RMB 8 million and inspired multiple bids before being won at RMB 18.975 million. Chinese Paper Money & Coins, Including Guo Ruoyu's Collection, Western Antique Works of Art and Fine Chinese Liqour Moutai also saw inspiring sale rates and hammer prices. The successful results indicated great recognition from collectors as well as people’s confidence in the prosperous art collection market.
