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.