Thousand-year-old Song dynasty letter fetches 207 million yuan at auction, setting record for ancient Chinese calligraphy
The mainland’s increasingly active collectors are turning their attention from modernism to classical works, says mainland auctioner
A 124-character letter written by a renowned Chinese scholar during the Song Dynasty nearly 1,000 years ago fetched a record price of 207 million yuan (HK$245 million) at an auction in Beijing on Sunday.
The letter, the only surviving piece of work by Zeng Gong, was bought by movie mogul Wang Zhongjun, chairman of Huayi Brothers Media, one of China’s largest entertainment companies, Shanghai-based news website Thepaper.cn reported.
Industry insiders said the sale marked the first time that an ancient Chinese painting of work of calligraphy has sold for a higher price than a modern painting at the same auction.
It’s also not the first time that Zeng’s letter has set a record – seven years ago it sold for 109 million yuan, the first work of Chinese calligraphy had fetched more than 100 million yuan.
The letter, entitled Jushi Tie, was written 936 years ago by Zeng to a distant friend expressing gratitude for the latter’s help during the lowest point in his career as a government official.
Zeng was regarded as one of the eight Great Prose Masters of the Tang and Song dynasties.
Chinese collectors had become increasingly active in the global art market in recent years and were shifting their focus towards classical pieces, Guo Tong, vice-president of mainland auction house
China Guardian, told Artron.net, a Beijing-based art news website.
“We had a lot of newcomers tonight, many of whom are modern art collectors. There has been more attention towards classical pieces following our promotion efforts,” Guo said.
As the art market matures, collectors have become more selective with their bidding but are willing to pay big prices for blue-chip works, Guo added.
The buyer, Wang, is an avid art collector who has spent more than 770 million yuan in the last two years acquiring renowned artworks. His previous acquisitions include Pablo Picasso’s Femme au Chignon Dans un Fauteuil ( Woman with a hairbun on a sofa), for US$29.9 million at Sotheby’s New York last year, and Vincent Van Gogh’s Still Life: Vase with Daisies and Poppies for US$61.8 million at an auction in New York in 2014.
Wang is said to be gravitating towards impressionist and modern art, but his purchase on Sunday may indicate an expanded interest in classical Chinese calligraphy, Thepaper.cn reported, quoting sources from his company.
