What To Collect
Building Up Your Future Revenue
If you start to collect new classical Chinese paintings now, you are already the biggest winner in the financial battle field, because you have already saved yourself a lot of money by buying museum-quality, new Chinese paintings at an affordable price. No matter what you want to do with your valuable Chinese art collection in the future (sell it for a cash, pass it on to your children, or donate it to your favorite museum), you will always take pride in having had the vision to secure a fine Chinese painting collection.
Benefits of Buying Museum-quality New Classical Chinese Paintings
1. To feel satisfied with the fascinating cultural life you have prepared for yourself today and tomorrow.
2. To build up quickly a valuable Chinese painting collection when the market is still young;
3. To invest wisely in a market that will definitely generate a sizable return.
4. To leave behind your love for your family and your children.
What to Buy in 2010
Buying Fine Porcelains of the Republican Period Is Promising. It is reported that the price of fine porceplain items of this period has gone up Ten Times in Five Years. Paying attention to the masterpieces is always wise. Trying not to be tempted by jars with a Chinese character, "Happiness," ornamentation is a must. Buyers should also avoid less than perfect items.
Buying Chinese Paintings by Female Artists Has Potentials: This can be an attractive market for new collectors and collectors with a smaller budget. Chinese paintings by seventeen Chinese woman artists of the Ming (1368-1644) and Qing (1644-1911) were first auctioned as a group during the first weekend of September 2006 in Beijing. Paticipated female artists are Li Ying, Ma Quan, Qian Yuling, and Liao Jiahui, etc. Subject matters focus on flowers, bird, and female figures. In 2004, a Chinse flower painting by Yan Yan of the Song dynasty (918-960) was sold for 275,000 yuan (US$34,375) in Shanghai. The painting of "Five Hundred Arhats" by Liao Jiahui reached 66,000 RMB (US$8,250) in September 2006 in Beijing. Another flower and Rock painting by the same artist was sold for 36,000 HK$ (US$4,600) in Hong Kong in 2005. The smoothly rising statistics suggest that the value of Classical Chinese Paintings by Female Chinese artist continues to increase in the coming years.
Buying Chinese Fan Paintings by Fine Artists Is Wise. Chinse art market analysists predict that classical Chinese fan painting has strong potentials. Chinese art collectors should pay attention to the performance of ancient Chinese fan paintings in the Chinese art market. Starting from the second of 2003, ancient Chinese painting in fan format presented itself as a strong candidate for Chinese art collectors. A fan painting by Wang Jian (1598-1677), Pine Trees in Valley, was sold for 770,000 RMB (US$96,250) in Beijing. A Chinese fan paintings painted or calligraphied by eight Chinese masters of the Ming Dynasty reached 101.200 RMB (US$12,650) in May 2004 in Beijing. In December 2004, a Chinese figure painting in the fan format by famous Chinese artist of the Yuan dyansty (1269-1368) Liu Guanda (fl.1280) was sold for 2420,000 (US$ 30,250), breaking the record of the artist in auction sales.
An Attractive Alternative
Over the history of Chinese art, reproductions and painting in the style of famous classical Chinese paintings were always associated with the traditional method of learning from old masters. Beginning as early as the Tang dynasty (618-907), emperors commissioned the best artists to copy old masterpieces in order to preserve national treasures and protect the cultural patrimony from natural decay. Court artists were appointed to make faithful duplicates of original works held in the imperial collections. For example, Li Gonglin (ca. 1041-1106) of the Song Dynasty was commissioned by the emperor to reproduce “Wei Yan Shepherding,” a painting from the Tang dynasty (617-907). Like other artist-copyists of renown, Li Gonglin describes the emperor's request and his motivation for copying the painting in his inscription, which draws attention to the pride he took in completing a reproduction of the original. A collection of a few fine Chinese paintings in the style of famous old masters says a lot about you and your unique cultural taste.
