Xiling Yinshe 2015 Autumn Auction Closed at ￥1.00666 Billion, Total Sale Rate Hit 85.16%
Persistent and Innovative: A Firm Step to a New Decade
On December 28, Xiling Yinshe 2015 Autumn Auction closed its three-day autumn auction which lasted three days for over two score hours, topping over 1 billion yuan in transaction amount with a deal rate ranking number one in domestic auction market.
The first night witnessed a succession of special auctions: Chinese Paintings & Calligraphy by Top Members of Xiling Yinshe, Eternal Glamour-Important Bronze Wares and Inscribed Tablets and China’s First Sale of 19th-20th Century Western Master Paintings, all hitting a 100% deal rate. Throughout the auction, sales of traditional strength continued to maintain firm and steady momentum. Top-grade, exquisite or rare items became the pursuit of all bidders and new items also had a robust market response. A large selection of high-margin art works which boast multiple literature and qualified for museum collection were particularly eye-catchers. With domestic and international collectors participating with great enthusiasm, 90% of the lots in most auctions were successfully traded. The entire auction saw the deal of seven single works at a single price of CN￥10 million or higher, breaking a series of records.
Quotes from GM Lu Jingqing:
‘Currently as the largest academic society specializing in seal-related learnings and arts, Xiling Society of Seal Arts enjoys a great reputation at both home and abroad. With great concern for innovation and inheritance of traditional Chinese culture, Xiling Auction adheres to the philosophy of Xiling Yinshe, namely, a spirit “as tough as bronze and stone”. In the past decade, this embedded cultural gene has gradually developed, matured and distinguished us from other auction houses.
2015 marks the beginning of a new decade for us, a forerunner and pioneer in the auction market. In the past eleven years, we have initiated thirteen ground-breaking sales. Exploring the possibility of new categories, especially Western arts, instills new connoisseurship concepts for domestic collectors and gives Chinese art market a new impulse to bolster internationalization.
As a forerunner in the art market, we esteem it our corporate social responsibility to introduce the cream of traditional Chinese culture to the world and cling to our time-honored standpoint on art in a respectful, conscious and proud manner. In order to bridge the East and the West, we have been consolidating an even broad platform through art auction which is hopefully conducive to developing traditional art and identifying new development models, paths and directions for the future art market.
We pursue innovation while dedicated to preservation of traditional cultural heritage. Based on solid academic research and integrate traditional culture with style of modern works, we will take a firm step forward in the first year of the new decade.’
I. Three Special Night Sales Saw White Glove Sales
1. Chinese Paintings & Calligraphy by Top Members of Xiling Yinshe is sold 100% by rate
Since 2006, Chinese Painting & Calligraphy by Top Members of Xiling Yinshe has been an outstanding star for its exclusive brand and cultural heritage symbol. During the auction, four score works by Xiling Yinshe’s founders, presidents and famous members are on display, covering a 100-year-long historic span. The animated auction lasted almost two hours and closed fruitfully at 142 million RMB in transaction amount.
A calligraphic transcript of YUAN JUE BEN QI ZHANG by Hong Yi was the spotlight of the auction since it was the longest of its kind and an important document for research on Hong Yi’s Buddhist philosophy. The starting price was 12 million RMB and the final deal was hammered out at 32.775 million RMB. The original text had more than 6,000 characters, and was later entitled by Ma Yifu, Xu Yingpu and Yang Renkai, looked over and annotated by Zhao Puchu and Cheng Shifa. With the acclamation of guru connoisseurs, the transcript deserved the highest honor in the auction. Another calligraphic work by Hong Yi which made a stunning appearance was The Five-Character Couplets in regular script, a transcript version of Avatamsaka Sutra couplets. It also made a stunning appearance at the auction. A prized collection of Liu Zhiping (Hong Yi’s disciple), the work was given credit for a maturing style. The starting bid was 1.8 million RMB, with a final deal closing at 4.6 million RMB.
▲Lot731
HONG YI YUAN JUE BEN QI ZHANG, SUTRA IN REGULAR SCRIPT
Sale Price: 32, 775,000 RMB
2. One Hundred Percent Closing Ratio for Eternal Glamour: Important Bronze Wares and Inscribed Tablets
Another special sale characterizing Xiling Yinshe’s long-held tradition: Eternal Glamour? Important Bronze Wares and Inscribed Tablets, starting very late at 0:18 of December 27 and concluding with an astounding one hundred percent closing ratio and a gross turnover of 56.20 million RMB after one hour of fervent bidding in the purchaser-ridden sale room.
The unique treasure (cover), A MAGNIFICENT AND IMPORTANT BRONZE RITUAL WINE VESSEL WITH PHOENIX PATTERNS, ZUN, dates back to the late Western Zhou Dynasty and started bidding at 3, 000, 000 RMB and closed at 10, 925, 000 RMB. This bronze ware of Yue Kingdom was once collected by Japanese noble Mr. Tanaka Gentarou and then collected by the Idemitsu Museum of Arts; it was also illustrated in the Artwork Appreciation of Tokyo National Museum-Ancient Chinese Bronzes published in 1906, the Comprehensive Research on Ritual Bronze Wares written by the bronze ware connoisseur Rong Gen and the Comprehensive Research on the Ritual bronze wares of Shang and Zhou Dynasty written by the Japanese famous scholar Mr. Hayashi Minao. The EARLY WESTERN ZHOU DYNASTY – A PAIR OF BRONZE RITUAL TRIPOD WINE VESSELS is exceptionally rare because of its integrity prestigious provenance. It finally clinched at 5, 175, 000 RMB. The LATE SHANG DYNASTY A BRONZE RITUAL BROAD MOUTHED JAR, YU, illustrated for many times, clinched at 5, 405, 000 RMB after competitive biddings.
Ever since China’s First Ritual Bronze Wares Sale in 2014, Eternal Glamour? Important Bronze Wares and Inscribed Tablets, with abundant relevant literature and illustrations, not only present collectors with a feast of treasures but also play an important part in promoting the backflow of lost cultural relics.
▲Lot796
LATE WESTERN ZHOU DYNASTY A MAGINFICENT AND IMPORTANT BRONZE RITUAL WINE VESSEL WITH PHOENIX PATTERNS, ZUN
Sale Price: 10, 925, 000 RMB
▲Lot793
EARLY WESTERN ZHOU DYNASTY A PAIR OF BRONZE RITUAL TRIPOD WINE VESSLES, JUE
Sale Price: 5, 175, 000 RMB
▲Lot794
LATE SHANG DYNASTY A BRONZE RITUAL BROAD MOUTHED JAR, YU
Sale Price: 5, 405, 000 RMB
3. A Complete Success of China’s First Sale of 19th-20th Century Western Master Paintings
Entitled as China’s First Sale of 19th-20th Century Western Master Paintings, also the 13th ground-breaking sale in China presented by Xiling Auction, made its blockbuster launch at 1:30 am, December 30. The master Claude Monet’s oil painting The Chapel of Our Lady of Grace at Honfleur composed at his early days started at 15, 000, 000 RMB and closed at 20, 700, 000 RMB. The Still Life by Giorgio Morandi and the Two Cows Under the Tree drawn by Paul Gauguin clinched at 9,430, 000 RMB and 6, 670, 000 RMB, ranking No. 2 and No. 3 respectively in this sale.
There are 12 lots in this sale with a gross turnover of 52, 830, 000 RMB, including classic paintings of landscape, still life and sketch by Monet, Renoir, Corot, Gauguin, Morandi and Andy Warhol, etc. These masterpieces made a debut in the sale and it is of enormous significance that Xiling Auction presents China’s First Sale of 19th-20th Century Western Master Paintings in the new decade right after the first bronze wares auction in China at the 10th Anniversary Auction. As a special sale, it will open a new era for the Chinese auction industry which has passed 20 years and also blazing a trail for the collection of western masterpieces in the domestic market. The western contemporary art paid attention to by the global collectors and taken as the subject matter of the fine art market is always the object of investment by the powerful collectors. These western masterpieces, housed by multiple institutes and collectors in the world during the last 100 years, form a valuable history of art collection.
▲Lot839
CLAUDE MONET THE CHAPEL OF OUR LADY OF GRACE AT HONFLEUR
Sale Price: 20, 700, 000 RMB
▲Lot844
PAUL GAUGUIN TWO COWS UNDER THE TREE
Sale Price: 6, 670, 000 RMB
▲Lot845
GIORGIO MORANDI STILL LIFE
Sale Price: 9, 430, 000 RMB
Ii. The Sales of Traditional Strength Remain Successful and the Special Categories are Merit with In-Depth Academy Research
1. The Sale of Classical Chinese Paintings and Calligraphy and Contemporary Chinese Paintings and Calligraphy Exceeds 90 Percent Sold by Rate
The sale holds the tradition of presenting high quality calligraphy and painting works both from ancient periods and modern times. The gross turnover of Classical Chinese Paintings & Calligraphy is 14, 000, 000 RMB with a closing ratio of 88.2%. The key lots were all sold at prices higher than estimates. As for the calligraphy, the Five-character poem in running script by Wang Duo was sold at 19, 205, 000 RMB, ranking the No. 1 of the sale. The Seven-character poem in running script by Wen Zhengming started at 8, 000, 000 RMB and skyrocketed to 12, 650, 000 RMB finally after rounds of fervent biddings in a manner of great price increase both on and off the sale hall. As for the paintings, the LANDSCAPE PAINTING SCREEN by YUAN JIANG, WANG YUN, CHEN ZHUO, AND SHI CHUN started at 5, 000, 000 RMB and soon was raised to 7, 500, 000 RMB. At this moment, a buyer at the last row bid 8, 000, 000 RMB directly and the price reached 10, 000, 000 RMB with loud applause rising on the site after several rounds of biddings between the buyer and a lady in the middle of the hall. In the end, it was realized at 13, 225, 000 RMB. The LANDSCAPE AFTER HUANG GONGAWNG by Xiao Yuncong started at 5, 500, 000 RMB and clinched at 8, 970, 000 RMB. Thanks to clear illustration details and provenance, the modern paintings and calligraphy are well-accepted among the buyers with an average turnover rate as high as 90%. Xu Beihong’s TWO TIGERS is a refined tiger painting which is rare because it was completed at his early stage. The lot was previously collected by Li Zigu and finally realized at 5, 635, 000 RMB.
▲Lot440
WANG DUO FIVE-CHARACTER POEM IN RUNNING SCRIPT
Sale Price: 19, 205, 000 RMB
▲Lot442
WEN ZHENGMING SEVEN-CHARACTER POEM IN RUNNING SCRIPT
Sale Price: 12, 650, 000 RMB
▲Lot425
YUAN JIANG, WANG YUN, CHEN ZHUO AND SHI CHUN LANDSCAPE PAINTING SCREEN
Sale Price: 13, 225, 000 RMB
▲Lot515
XIAO CONGYUN LANDSCAPE AFTER HUANG GONGAWNG
Sale Price: 8, 970, 000 RMB
▲Lot51
XU BEIHONG TWO TIGERS
Sale Price: 5, 635, 000 RMB
2.The Manuscripts by Chinese and International Celebrities Catch The Tune Of Times, Refreshing Records Repeatedly and Becoming a Benchmark for the Industry
The closing ratio of the two special sections for the manuscripts by Chinese and international celebrities in this autumn auction is more than 90% and the gross turnover approaches nearly 60,000,000 RMB, breaking the record of the highest turnover of the domestic counterparts in the same season, including even a single lot creating three records.
The Road to Rise: Manuscripts on China’s Modern Diplomacy is a special sale to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the victory of China’s resistance war against Japanese Aggression. A number of precious manuscripts by a lot of famous politicians and diplomats in the Chinese diplomatic history for a century were pooled together from the perspectives of cultural and historical, covering many significant historical research objects and events in modern China. The integrity and systematicness embodied in this section stands head and shoulders above the counterparts in the auction industry. The similar exhibition held in East China Normal University has aroused attentions and affirmation from the academies. With the closing ratio of 92%, it has opened a broad prospect for the academic and research-based collections. The UNPUBLISHED DIARY DURING THE SECOND OPIUM WAR BY ADMIRAL SIR HARRY HOLDSWORTH RAWSON was realized at 667, 000 RMB, breaking the record of the best turnover for the manuscripts by Chinese and international celebrities.
As for the Manuscripts by Chinese and International Celebrities & Calligraphy Masterpieces Collected by Xukongcaotang, the Fu Sinian’s manuscripts with the largest amount in the current market (including AUTOGRAPHY MANUSCRIPTS OF NOTES ABOUT ANCIENT CHINESE LITERATURE, DIARY, NOTES, etc.) clinched at a record price of 2, 415, 000 RMB. The Twelve-character Couplet in Official Script by Zheng Xiaoxu started at 500, 000 RMB but clinched at 3, 450, 000 RMB after tens of rounds of biddings, making a record in the auction for Zheng Xiaoxu’s calligraphies.
▲Lot2276
ADMIRAL SIR HARRY HOLDSWORTH RAWSON The UNPUBLISHED DIARY DURING THE SECOND OPIUM WAR
Sale Price: 667, 000 RMB
▲Lot2057
FU SINIAN AUTOGRAPHY MANUSCRIPTS OF NOTES ABOUT ANCIENT CHINESE LITERATURE, DIARY, NOTES, etc
Sale Price: 2, 415, 000 RMB
3.The Ancient Books and Ink Rubbings Collected by Multiple Celebrities all Arrived At a Deal Successively
All the lots of the Fine Ink Rubbings and Rare and Fine Ancient Books collected by multiple celebrities clinched a deal after fierce biddings with frequent highlights. The QING LOU YUN YU collected by Dong Kang was inscribed in 1616 in Wulin (Hang Zhou for now) started at 1, 500, 000 RMB after nearly 400 years and closed at 3, 047, 500 RMB. 15 lots collected by Zhu Kongyang and 38 ink-rubbings collected by Qi Shuyu all made a deal while the seal impressions of past dynasties became the hotspot for competition. The BEI WEI WANG ZI JIN BEI INK RUBBING started at 1, 500, 000 RMB and closed at 2, 300, 000 RMB. The INK RUBBINGS OF BRONZE BELLS by Chen Jieqi which was provided by Chen Jieqi’s descendant when Qi Shuyu lived in Tianjin started at 60, 000 RMB and clinched at 483, 000 RMB. The INK RUBBINGS OF BRONZE BELLS is rarely seen as a whole set in the auction and it has become the lot with highest premium.
▲Lot2709
[DONG KANG] QING LOU YUN YU (4 vols.)
Sale Price: 3, 047, 500 RMB
▲Lot2584
BEI WEI WANG ZI JIN BEI INK RUBBING
Sale Price: 2, 300, 000 RMB
▲Lot2532
[CHEN JIEQI] INK RUBBINGS OF BRONZE BELLS
Sale Price: 483, 000 RMB
III. With Fervent Biddings from Buyers, Lots are Sold After Rounds Of Bidding
As for seal cuttings, the lot-QING DYNASTY AN OVAL TIANHUANG STONE ‘BEAST’ SEAL ENGRAVED BY WANG DAXIN, weighed 43.2g, started at 800, 000 RMB and closed at nearly 100, 000 RMB per gram. The lot-QING DYNASTY A PAIR OF WHITE SHOUSHAN ‘FURONG’ SEALS FOR HE CHENG’S PRIVATE USE engraved by Zhao Zhiqian is his great work which was illustrated for eight times successively. It started at 800, 000 RMB and closed at 2, 875, 000 RMB.
▲Lot2870
QING DYNASTY AN OVAL TIANHUANG STONE ‘BEAST’ SEAL ENGRAVED BY WANG DAXIN
Sale Price: 4, 255, 000 RMB
▲Lot2961
QING DYNASTY A PAIR OF WHITE SHOUSHAN ‘FURONG’ SEALS FOR HE CHENG’S PRIVATE USE ENGRAVED BY ZHAO ZHIQIAN
Sale Price: 2, 875, 000 RMB
The gross turnover of Chinese Zisha Wares of Different Dynasties is 25, 810, 000 RMB and many lots were bid at the prices several times than the starting prices with astounding achievements beyond expectation. The QIANLONG PERIOD, QING DYNASTY A RED CLAY TEAPOT WITH AUSPICIOUS PATTERNS AND ‘QIAN LONG’ MARK started at 1, 600, 000 RMB and closed at 5, 865, 000 RMB. The JIAQING PERIOD, QING DYNASTY A ‘MANSHENG’ TEAPOT started at 1, 300, 000 RMB and closed at 3, 565, 000 RMB. As for the “Chinese Paper Money and Coins”, the QING DYNASTY A SAMPLE COIN WITH ‘GUANG XU YUAN BAO’ MARK ISSUED IN 1907 started at 800, 000 RMB and closed at 1, 265, 000 RMB.
▲Lot1228
QIANLONG PERIOD, QING DYNASTY A RED CLAY TEAPOT WITH AUSPICIOUS PATTERNS AND ‘QIAN LONG’ MARK
Sale Price: 5, 865, 000 RMB
▲Lot4660
QING DYNASTY A SAMPLE COIN WITH ‘GUANG XU YUAN BAO’ MARK ISSUED IN 1907
Sale Price: 1, 265, 000 RMB
Jade Carvings by Contemporary Chinese Masters made a stir and many lots were concluded at high prices. For instance, A WHITE JADE HORSE by Cui Lei was realized at 4, 025, 000 RMB, A WHITE JADE ORNAMENT WITH HORSE PATTERNS by Ge Hong realized at 1, 955, 000 RMB and A GROUP OF JADE ORNAMENTS by Wang Yibu realized at 747, 500 RMB. Moreover, FINE KINMEN KAOLIANG LIQUOR were also concluded with a ratio of 100%, for instance, the VINETAGE KAOLIANG LIQUOR MADE IN 1983 AND BOTTLED IN 1990 which shares the same date of production and bottling with the two that Ma Yingjiu gave to President Xi Jinping during the Xi-Ma meeting was realized at 25, 300 RMB. Zhang Ding’s series of comics specially recommended in the Comics Illustration & Cartoons by Chinese Masters were all concluded, including 6 lots of which the gross turnover even reached 846, 400 RMB. The series of lots were created mainly between 1945 and 1949 with not just the artistic value but also literature and academic values in the Chinese fine arts history.
▲Lot4105
CUI LEI A WHITE JADE HORSE
Sale Price: 4, 025, 000 RMB
▲Lot1507
VINETAGE KAOLIANG LIQUOR MADE IN 1983 AND BOTTLED IN 1990
Sale Price: 25, 300 RMB
▲Lot1911
ZHANG DING THE COST OF BENDING KNEES, ETC.
Sale Price: 163, 300 RMB
▲Lot3367
A ‘LOCOMOTIVE’CLOCK OF INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION SERIES
Sale Price: 1, 207, 500 RMB
