TRADITIONAL Chinese paintings and calligraphy were overshadowed by their modern and contemporary counterparts in the art market for years. At this year’s spring auctions, however, they started to resume their past glory in auction houses.

At the 2021 China Guardian spring auction that concluded May 23, art buyers showed great passion for court paintings of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), paintings of the Wu School in the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), letters by renowned scholars from the Ming Dynasty, and inscriptions of the Qing Dynasty.

Multiple works were sold at the auction house’s spring sales for satisfactory prices, including a work of calligraphy in cursive script by painter and calligrapher Wang Duo (1592-1652), a work of calligraphy in running script by painter Tang Yin (1470-1523), “Bizarrerie Fishes,” a painting with calligraphy by painter Zhao Zhiqian (1829-1884), and a work of calligraphy in running script by painter Wen Zhengming (1470-1559).

According to Luan Jingli, general manager of the traditional Chinese painting and calligraphy department of China Guardian, the auction house’s tour exhibitions of specially selected items, held in Nanjing and Shanghai, as well as a four-day pre-auction exhibition, have attracted great attention from the market. A total of 460 lots were offered at its four sessions for the traditional Chinese art, and 80 percent of them were sold at auction.

In addition, buyers in the auction house’s day sales were found to be interested in folded fans with paintings and calligraphy from the Ming and Qing dynasties and works of calligraphy by royal members of the Qing Dynasty.

The growth of traditional Chinese paintings and calligraphy in art market has emerged since last year. Despite of increasing downward pressure on the global economy, four works of traditional Chinese paintings and calligraphy were each sold for more than 100 million yuan (US$15.6 million). “Ten Views of a Lingbi Stone,” a 27-meter-long painting from the Ming Dynasty, was sold at Beijing Poly for 512.9 million yuan. “Five Drunken Princes Returning on Horseback,” a painting by Ren Renfa (1255-1328), was sold at the Hong Kong branch of Sotheby’s for 270.07 million yuan. “Kui Suo Tie,” a work of calligraphy by the Song Dynasty (960-1279)poet Zhu Dunru (1081-1159), was sold at China Guardian for 150.65 million yuan, and “Bamboo in Monochrome Ink and Calligraphy” by Wen Tong (1018-1079) and Su Shi (1037-1101) was sold for 121.90 million yuan at Beijing Poly.

According to Li Yongqing, curator of the Shenzhen Dingzhen Art Museum, art buyers have favored modern and contemporary Chinese paintings and calligraphy to traditional ones in the past few years, and the growing popularity of the traditional works could be attributed to multiple reasons. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, some enterprises turned to the art market for investment, and that has brought huge turnover to the market. In addition, as the value of traditional paintings and calligraphy was underestimated, when some new collectors entered the market last year, they aimed for the ancient art.

However, Li said that the rising prices still fail to reveal the true value of traditional Chinese paintings and calligraphy, and there is still greater market potential for the ancient works.

Zhu Shaoliang, a collector and connoisseur of paintings and calligraphy, said that the growing market for traditional paintings and calligraphy has demonstrated the art buyers’ confidence in traditional art.

But he also believed that buyers should learn more about the works before rushing into the market, because with a surging market, some items may be sold at artificially inflated prices.

(Lin Lin)