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Here’s an article for latest edition of the Art Newspaper
Records broken at Chinese sales of traditional artworks

Antique and traditional Chinese artworks sold at mainland China auctions have seen a huge increase in interest at Autumn auctions held by local auction house stalwarts Poly Auction and China Guardian Auction, in Beijing.
Beijing Poly 2009 Autumn Auction, 6 sales of predominantly painting as well as ceramics and rare books, was held from 19 to 24 November and the auction generated USD$ 230 million sales, a new record for mainland China.
Ms Huang from the Poly auction Chinese Paintings and Calligraphy Seasonal Auction office, told the Art Newspaper buyers were predominately from mainland China, and interest in traditional Chinese art is increased. Highlight of the sale was the USD$ 24.7mln sale price for a 16th century scroll painting by Wu Bin, entitled ”Eighteen Arhats,” depicting monks on a journey, and reportedly formerly in the collection of China’s Qianlong Emperor. The auction house would not reveal the identity of the buyer, though local media reported the piece went to Shanghai collector Liu Yiqian.
Another significant sale at the Poly auction was a calligraphy piece, “Letter Leaf,” by Zeng Gong, a Tang and Song Dynasty scholar, which sold for USD$ 15.9 million dollars. Both pieces were submitted for auction by Baron Ullens, the well known Belgian collector, who altogether consigned 16 pieces.
A new record for living traditional artist Wu Guanzhong was also set at the Poly auction for the piece ‘the great falls of Tanzania,’ which sold for USD$ 4.5 million.
China Guardian 09 Autumn Auction on November 23 ‘Chinese Paintings and Calligraphy’ also saw a new a record for the auction house with USD 161 million sales. Guardian set a new record for Chinese calligraphy with the sale of the Song Dynasty work “Writings by Prominent Personages” by several artists, including Zhu Xi and Zhang Jingxiu, which sold for USD$ 14.7 million. The record was subsequently broken by the Poly sale of the calligraphy piece “Letter Leaf.”
At Guardian auction’s oil painting sale Wu Guanzhong’s “Northern Scenery” sold for USD$ 4.42 million, and “Chairman Mao at the Steel Mill” by Jin Shangyi sold for USD$ 2.96 million.
A spokesperson for Christie’s in Hong Kong said some of the results were ‘eyebrow raising.’