The three-day 30th China Guardian Quarterly Auction ended on June 18 in Beijing, accumulating 210 million yuan and featuring many hotly contested lots.
Chinese Painting and Calligraphy
A series of precious lots collected by Chinese collectors were highly sought after by the bidders. Among the highlights was Character and Landscape, calligraphy by Fu Baoshi(1904-1965) and Chen Banding(1876-1970), which sold at 2,472,500 yuan, thirty times its estimated price; Landscape by Fu Baoshi sold at 2.07 million yuan, twenty-five times its estimated price.
Character and Landscape, calligraphy by Fu Baoshi(1904-1965) and Chen Banding(1876-1970)
In addition, Orchid and Bamboo by Pan Tianshou(1886-1971) sold at 1.84 million yuan; Landscape by Guan Shanyue(1912-2000) sold at 425,500 yuan; Hibiscus, Calligraphy by Xie Zhiliu(1910-1997) sold at 402,500 yuan.
All the highlights aforementioned were Chinese paintings and calligraphy presented on traditional Chinese fans. They were collected by Zhang E, a well-known cartoonist in China and the former deputy curator of the National Art Museum of China.
Sales of works by Li Keran (1907-1989) continued to boom. Most of his pieces presented in the auction focused on the traditional Chinese imagery, like the boy cowherd and cattle. His Boy and Cattle (lot 241), known for its skillful composition and simple lines, sold at 2.127 million yuan. In addition, his Boy and Cattle (lot 242) sold at 1.84 million yuan, and Boy and Cattle (lot 62) sold at 1.55 million yuan.
Boy and Cattle (lot 241)
Starting from 2011, Outstanding Paintings by Masters session has been well accepted for its important works from overseas collections. This year, Camellia, a painting by Qi Baishi (1864-1957) topped the list and sold at 2.645 million yuan. The painting was presented to the Russian artist Victor Michailocich Oreshnikov when he was visiting China in 1953 and 1954. Landscape by Zhang Daqian (1899-1983) sold at 2.645 million yuan. The painting was given by Zhang to his close friend Huang Zhongxiang, a military official in the Kuomintang.
Landscape by Lu Yanshao (1909-1993) drew heavily from the poems of the poet Du Fu from the Tang Dynasty. The lot, noted for its precise vigor and stark contrast, brought 1.38 million yuan; Character and Landscape, produced by Fu Baoshi in 1960, created classic Chinese imagery in which two scholars were engaged in cheerful talks before an expansive river. The painting was sold at 1.265 million yuan.
In addition, Character and Landscape produced by Yu Fei'An (1889-1959) sold at 862,500 yuan and Landscape, a painting by Wu Hufan (1894-1968) sold at 782,000 yuan.
Landscape by Song May-ling
Landscape, a painting by Song May-ling (1897-2003), sold at 230,000 yuan. It came with a preface by her husband Chiang Kai-shek, a political and military leader of 20th -century China. Boy and Cattle, Calligraphy produced by Fan Zeng (b.1938) in 1983 sold at 1.955 million yuan and Landscape by Dong Shouping (1904-1997) sold at 1.83 million yuan.
In the contemporary Chinese paintings and calligraphy sessions, 240 pieces were presented. Zhongkui the Demon Queller, produced by Fan Zeng in 1980, sold at 1.38 million yuan; Landscape by Zhang Ding (1917-2010) sold at 747.500 yuan; and the painting Girls by Zhou Sicong (1939-1996) sold at 690,000 yuan.
Highlights in the ancient pieces included Landscape by Wang Hui (1632-1717), which sold at 2.645 million yuan; Calligraphy by He Shaoji (1799-1873), which was provided by his family members and sold at 1.058 million yuan. In addition, Landscape by Shi Tao (1642-1707) sold at 1.265 million yuan.
Porcelain, Furniture and Works of Art
In the Porcelain and Works of Art session on June 16, a doucai bowl produced during the Yongzheng Period of the Qing Dynasty, was auctioned at 828,000 yuan. As an artwork featuring Taoist patterns, the bowl was noted for its perfect balance of brightness and vigor of colors.
A doucai bowl produced during the Yongzheng Period of the Qing Dynasty
A blue and white stem bowl from the Ming Dynasty sold at 690,000 yuan. Notably, fifteen children were depicted on the surface, compared to the even numbers often seen in the traditional techniques.
In addition, another three lots from the Qing Dynasty met with great favor. A green-glazed vase of the Dao Guang Period sold at 345,000 yuan; a blue-glazed vase of the Qianlong Period sold at 253,000 yuan, and a white jade pendant and a celadon jade pendant sold at 230,000 yuan.
In the porcelain session, a sancai dish produced in the Kangxi Period sold at 805,000 yuan. The dish was known for the blessing connotation of its patterns. Pomegranates stand for a multitude of children, peaches for longevity and citrus for fabulous wealth. Also, a red-glazed vase of the Daoguang Period sold at 230,000 yuan, a blue and white brush-pot of the Kangxi Period sold at 207,000 yuan and a famille-rose vase of the Guangxu Period sold at 184,000 yuan.
A sancai dish produced in the Kangxi Period
Among the 50 Buddha figures in the 30th Quarterly Auction, the highlights included a bronze figure of Buddha of the Qianlong Period, which sold at 552,000 yuan. A bronze figure of Kwan-yin from the Ming Dynasty sold at 517,500 yuan.
In addition, a Japanese iron teapot (lot 4520) sold at 287.500 yuan, a fine silver teapot (lot 4506) sold at 101.200 yuan and another fine silver teapot (lot 4552) sold at 89,700 yuan.
This year, the classical furniture session brought about 50 pieces of ancient furniture and most of them are without reserved prices, which broadened the access to the public. The session totaled 2.8 million yuan, 87 percent by lots.
A hongmu bed and a hongmu kang table and a pair of stands
The highlights included a hongmu bed and a hongmu kang table and a pair of stands, which, after several rounds of heated bidding, sold at 368,000 yuan; a complete set of hongmu furniture produced during the Republic of China, which sold at 253,000 yuan; and a yumu bed made during the late Ming Dynasty for 241,500 yuan.
Also, a hutaomu table and eight hutaomu chairs sold at 207,000 yuan. A renaissance style cabinet sold for 101.200 yuan.
Chinese Oil Paintings
The College Era-Excellent Artworks of Chinese Art Colleges session this year attracted a large number of young university teachers, with more than 500 arts and comprehensive colleges applying for the session. This year China Guardian selected over 200 lots from the 20,000 entrants, which showcased the fabulous art styles and the high standards of the rising Chinese young artists.
Slightly Bright by Zhang Ben
The session brought in 1.6 million yuan. Among the highlights were Slightly Bright by Zhang Ben, which sold at 94,300 yuan, closely followed by I Am Still Here No.2 by Zhang Fei and Hometown Memories: Morning Rain by Li Baiming. In addition, Liu Junliang's Tears in the Water No.2 and Zhang Jieshuai's The Other Side of the Mountain were both sold for 59,800 yuan.