北京保利拍卖可能会打破纪录

Beijing Poly Auction, one of the two largest auction houses in China, has raised the curtain on its spring sale. We take a preview of the site which, at 40,000 square meters, has been hailed as the largest art exhibition in China to date.

East Beijing’s Agriculture Exhibition Center is decked out and ready for the hammer to fall. Poly Auction is celebrating its eight years in trade by mounting this preview exhibition, which includes more than 9000 lots.

Auctions of ancient Chinese calligraphy and paintings will still take center stage. Other highlights will include a thirty meter long map of the Ming Dynasty silk road. The map has very high historical value, and is estimated to fetch as much as 80 million yuan.

Other eye openers include these fan paintings, also created in the Ming dynasty. This is the first time for them to go public.

Li Xuesong, Deputy Director of Poly Auction, said, "These fans were painted by some of the most acclaimed painters in the Ming dynasty, such as Shen Zhou, Wen Zhengming and Wen Jia. This peach blossom here was painted by Wen Jia, and the calligraphy is done by Wang Chong, a very respected calligrapher at the time. So this fan is a perfect combination of first-rate painting and calligraphy, and very precious."

Thirty bronze incense burners from the royal kilns of the Ming dynasty are also star pieces. They were created during Xuande’s reign, believed to be one of China’s finest eras for bronze incense burners. The ones on display here all come from one collector and are of superb quality, and each bears different characteristics.

"Although these burners don’t have complicated adornments, their beauty exists in the lines, and the ratio of the lines. In addition, they present a living art, because they are not only displayed for viewing, but also for practical use. When owners burned incense in them, their color would be even more beautiful. It reflects the cultivation of the people who used them." Said Li Yizhou, Manager of Antiques Dept., Poly Auction.

The burners come in various sizes, and some also have elaborate carvings. They are among the many antiques at what insiders say could be a record-breaking auction.

Zhao Xu, Executive Shareholder, Poly Auction, said, "Two lots are expected to pass the 100-million yuan benchmark. One probably from the painted fans, another is the ancient map of the silk road. These two lots might break records. In 2009, Poly auction led the rise of the art market, which kept soaring until 2011. Then, due to the economic climate, sales declined. But after two years, the market is seeing a recovery."

The theme of this Poly auction is Returning to the Lives of the Literati, which will host more than 50 sessions. It opens on Saturday and runs till June 6th.