An Art Appraisal of the Authentic Bird-and-Flower Paintings by Zhao Xiuhuan
Dandeli Art Space is dedicated to introducing and recommending artists and their original and enduringly valuable artwork to art collectors. From the history of art appreciation, we have learned that it is difficult to predict the trend of the art market due to the constant fluctuation of people’s tastes in art. Therefore, the premise of rational art collection is the joy and aesthetic rewards that the artwork can bring while generating economic rewards; investment and collection in artwork should not be done solely for profit. Our principle of pricing artwork is to respect the value of art and its artists, and respect the integrity and fairness of market behaviors.
Zhao Xiuhuan’s gongbi paintings are characteristically distinguishable, and have been recognized by experts from both Chinese and overseas academies, such as Gao Juhan (Professor James Cahill) , Lin Lusi (Dr. Lucy Lim) , Yang Yuepu and other art critics and art historians since the 1980s. Today, Zhao’s paintings have become commercially attractive. Apart from participating in numerous major art exhibitions both domestically and overseas, her art works have also been on sale and put to auction in Hong Kong with some of the prices even reaching $1000 US dollars as early as over a decade ago. Therefore, we consider the current pricing of Zhao’s paintings to be justifiably accurate.
Zhao Xiuhuan’s paintings have long been received by overseas collectors, for there was hardly any mainland art collector in China from the 1980s to 1990s. Zhao lived in Australia and the United States for more than a decade, and never took part in the mainland art circles or art market during her pursuit of art and other personal interest. Therefore, the pricing of her artwork is based on the sale status in overseas market (please refer to the attached statement provided by Mr. Lu Mingjie , the overseas agent of Zhao Xiuhuan); furthermore, pricing on a uniform basis is fairer to the collectors all over the world. Zhao Xiuhuan’s paintings began to appear in the mainland market and put to auction only in recent years (to see the auction record please refer to Mr. Lu’s statement in Annex 1). The exhibition “Zhao Xiuhuan: the Utopia of Birds and Flowers” held in Dandeli Art Space on May, 2008, was Zhao’s first grand solo exhibition since returning to China. Recently, Zhao’s solo exhibition of Chinese gongbi bird-and-flower paintings “Blossom in Summer” was again presented by Dandeli Art Space.
However, it is regretful that in the deficient Chinese mainland auction market, the reflection of true fair-market value of artwork has been significantly affected. First, it has been confirmed by Zhao Xiuhuan along with her students and agent that counterfeits of Zhao Xiuhuan’s paintings have emerged frequently in the present auction market (please refer to Annex 2 to see the record statement of auctions of Zhao Xiuhuan’s paintings). Second, the true value of Zhao Xiuhuan’s paintings has been influenced by the fickle and irrational forces in the mainland auction market, which impacts the judgement of possible investors. It is regarded as an abnormal phenomenon that, at present, 90% of the paintings for trade in the mainland market are oil paintings; however, the value of traditional Chinese paintings has been seriously overlooked and underestimated. In a normative market, the value of artwork of excellent artists is expected to increase at the rate of 5% to 10% each year. Therefore, the pricing of Zhao Xiuhuan’s paintings is in accordance with Zhao’s competency of art and values of her artwork, and complies with the market discipline, too.
Annex 1: The record statement of the auction of Zhao Xiuhuan’s paintings provided to Dandeli Art Space by Mr. Lu Mingjie.
The headway of pricing of Zhao Xiuhuan’s paintings in Tai Wan:
1992 approximately RMB 6,500.00/square chi (1 square chi=30 x 30 cm=900.00 cm2)
1994 approximately RMB 8,000.00/ square chi
1998 approximately RMB 11,000.00/ square chi
2004 approximately RMB 12,000.00-15,000.00/ square chi（pricing of selected artwork: RMB 60,000.00/ square chi）
A record of the auction of Zhao Xiuhuan’s paintings:
| No. | Title of Painting | Auctioneer | Date of Auction | Estimated Price (RMB) | Concluded Price (RMB) |
| 1 | The Autumn of the Shujiang River | China Guardian Auction Co. Ltd., Beijing | 2007-12-15 | 6,720.00 | |
| 2 | Lotus and Bird | Hong Kong Fude | 2007-1-17 | 8,050.00 | |
| 3 | Blossoms | Hong Kong Fude | 2007-1-17 | 9,200.00 | |
| 4 | The Breeze | China Guardian Auction Co. Ltd., Beijing | 2006-6-22 | 13,200.00 | |
| 11 | Double Aigrettes and the Pine tree | China Guardian Auction Co. Ltd. | 2006-6-22 | 16,500.00 | |
| 5 | An Auspicious Snow | China Guardian Auction Co. Ltd. | 2006-3-12 | 16,500.00 | |
| 6 | The Lotus Pool | China Poly Group Corporation, Shanghai | 2005-7-3 | 30,000.00 - 40,000.00 | 38,500.00 |
| 7 | The Dragonfly and Lotus | Beijing Cheng Xuan Auction Co. Ltd. | 2005-11-8 | 18,000.00 - 22,000.00 | 33,000.00 |
| 8 | A Song of Forests | China Poly Group Corporation, Shanghai | 2004-12-6 | 140,000.00 - 180,000.00 | 154,000.00 |
| 9 | Butterflies and Flowers | NAGEL AUKTIONEN | 2004-11-12 | -- | |
| 10 | Butterflies and Flowers | NAGEL AUKTIONEN | 2004-11-12 | -- | |
| 12 | Goldfish and Lotus | Christie’s, Hong Kong | 1989 | ||
| 13 | The New Year | Christie’s, Hong Kong | 1989 | ||
| 14 | Mandarin Ducks | Christie’s, New York | 1988 | ||
| 15 | Golden Lotus at Night | Christie’s, Hong Kong | 1988 | ||
| 16 | Birds and Snow Plums | Christie’s, Hong Kong | 1988 | ||
| 17 | The Moon | Christie’s, Hong Kong | 1987 |
The present art market is full of profit-orientated investments, and people are chasing after popular celebrities rather than appreciating artists who have real talents but are not as mainstream. Collectors should seek true beauty instead of going after a hot name.
Annex 2: A record of the auction of Zhao Xiuhuan’s authentic paintings and the counterfeits of her artwork
In the international auction market, every auction item has an exclusive and consistent serial number for the convenience of bidders and specialists to study and keep a track of the artworks. However, in the current Chinese market, an auction item gains a new serial number every time it is sent to an auction company, making it hard for the specialists to pursue items and keep records at the same time, which has furthermore indulged many counterfeits in the marketplace. In addition, artists usually do not directly participate in the auction of their artwork. Zhao Xiuhuan merely pays close attention to the auction records of her paintings which have been put to auction in the marketplace by her agent under her permission. Please see below for some auction records collected from the internet by the staff of Dandeli Art Space, which have been reviewed and confirmed by Zhao Xiuhuan.
So far it has been found that the auctions of Zhao Xiuhuan’s paintings have taken place 45 times, among which there are counterfeits in the following forms:
1. Reproductions of Zhao Xiuhuan’s authentic paintings, which have the same appearance but recognizably different colors and painting techniques.
2. Imitations of “Zhao Xiuhuan style”, which have applied fairly similar colors and techniques to the authentic artwork, but recognizably different signatures and seals on the paintings (it is speculated that these imitations are made by someone from Hong Kong).
3. Other counterfeits are even absurd. They are xieyi paintings put up to auction in the name of Zhao Xiuhuan.
| No. | Serial No. | Title of Painting | Auctioneer | Date of Auction |
Concluded Price (RMB) |
Genuine(G)/Fake(F) | Remark |
| 1 | 721 | Butterflies and Flowers | NAGEL AUKTIONEN | 2004-11-12 | -- | G | |
| 2 | 719 | Butterflies and Flowers | NAGEL AUKTIONEN | 2004-11-12 | -- | G | |
| 3 | 425 | A Song of Forests | China Poly Group Corporation, Shanghai | 2004-12-6 | 154000 | G | |
| 4 | 224 | The Mizzle | China Poly Group Corporation, Shanghai | 2004-12-6 | -- | F | |
| 5 | 952 | Gongbi Bird-and-flower | China Guardian Auction Co. Ltd. | 2004-12-9 | 7480 | F | |
| 6 | 700 | Bird and Flower | China Guardian Auction Co. Ltd., Guangzhou | 2004-9-12 | -- | ||
| 7 | 527 | Bird and Flower | China Guardian Auction Co. Ltd., Guangzhou | 2004-9-12 | -- | ||
| 8 | 1082 | The Dragonfly and Lotus | Beijing Cheng Xuan Auction Co. Ltd. | 2005-11-8 | 33000 | G | |
| 9 | 564 | Bird and Flower | Chinese Paintings and Arts Auctioneer Co. Ltd. | 2005-11-18 | 7176 | F | |
| 10 | 910 | Birds in the Snow | China Guardian Auction Co. Ltd. | 2005-12-11 | 8800 | F | |
| 11 | 902 | The Rosy Sunglow | China Guardian Auction Co. Ltd. | 2005-12-11 | -- | F | |
| 12 | 708 | An Auspicious Snow | China Guardian Auction Co. Ltd. | 2005-3-11 | 13200 | F | |
| 13 | 723 | Bird and Flower | China Guardian Auction Co. Ltd. | 2005-6-10 | 22000 | F | |
| 14 | 205 | The Lotus Pool | China Poly Group Corporation, Shanghai | 2005-7-3 | 38500 | G | |
| 15 | 667 | Bird and Flower | China Guardian Auction Co. Ltd., Guangzhou | 2005-8-13 | -- | F | |
| 16 | 385 | Bird and Flower | Beijing Zhongtai | 2005-8-14 | -- | F | |
| 17 | 740 | Bird and Flower | China Guardian Auction Co. Ltd. | 2005-9-10 | 17600 | F | |
| 18 | 739 | Bird and Flower | China Guardian Auction Co. Ltd. | 2005-9-10 | 18500 | F | |
| 19 | 277 | Presenting Flowers | Beijing Tranthy | 2006-1-7 | -- | F | |
| 20 | 1279 | Fish and Lotus | China Guardian Auction Co. Ltd. | 2006-12-17 | 16500 | F | |
| 21 | 35 | Birds and Red Plums | Beijing DADE International Auction Co. Ltd. | 2006-12-18 | 8800 | F | |
| 22 | 1303 | An Auspicious Snow | China Guardian Auction Co. Ltd. | 2006-3-12 | 16500 | G | Collaborative artwork |
| 23 | 1302 | An Enjoyable Night | China Guardian Auction Co. Ltd. | 2006-3-12 | 11000 | F | |
| 24 | 1301 | A Clear River Flow | China Guardian Auction Co. Ltd. | 2006-3-12 | 6600 | F | |
| 25 | 259 | The Orchid | Guangzhou Art Auction Co. Ltd. | 2006-6-11 | -- | F | |
| 26 | 611 | Double Aigrettes and the Pine tree | China Guardian Auction Co. Ltd. | 2006-6-22 | 16500 | F | |
| 27 | 749 | The Lotus | China Guardian Auction Co. Ltd. | 2006-6-22 | 15400 | F | |
| 28 | 750 | The Breeze | China Guardian Auction Co. Ltd. | 2006-6-22 | 13200 | G | |
| 29 | 751 | The Magnolia | China Guardian Auction Co. Ltd. | 2006-6-22 | 19800 | G | This painting was put to a commissioned auction, and was found to be in disrepair during pre-exhibition; it was thus removed from the auction, which infringed the auction process. In the end, under the agreement with the auctioneer, it was bought back by Zhao Xiuhuan. |
| 30 | 234 | Scroll Painting of Beautiful Women | Hong Kong Fude | 2007-1-17 | 2300 | F | |
| 31 | 251 | The Aigrette and the Willow | Hong Kong Fude | 2007-1-17 | 2875 | F | |
| 32 | 218 | Weaving Silk | Chinese Paintings and Arts Auctioneer Co. Ltd. | 2007-1-17 | -- | F | |
| 33 | 81 | Birds and Lotus | Hong Kong Fude | 2007-1-17 | 8050 | G | Collaborative artwork |
| 34 | 114 | Blossoms | Hong Kong Fude | 2007-1-17 | 9200 | G | |
| 35 | 331 | Beautiful Women | Chinese Paintings and Arts Auctioneer Co. Ltd. | 2007-12-8 | -- | F | The dated seal is different from the authentic one. |
| 36 | 685 | The Autumn of the Shujiang River | China Guardian Auction Co. Ltd. | 2007-12-15 | 6720 | G | |
| 37 | 288 | Spring on the River | Hong Kong Fude | 2007-5-27 | 11385 | F | |
| 38 | 138 | Flowers in the Mirror | Hong Kong Fude | 2007-5-27 | 1708 | F | |
| 39 | 137 | The Lotus Flower | Hong Kong Fude | 2007-5-27 | 2846 | F | |
| 40 | 153 | Maple Leaves | Chunhao, Hong Kong | 2007-5-5 | -- | F | |
| 41 | 103 | Bird and Flower | Beijing Rongbao Auction Co. Ltd. | 2007-9-14 | -- | F | |
| 42 | 870 | Double Sparrow in Maple Leaves | China Guardian Auction Co. Ltd. | 2007-9-15 | -- | F | |
| 43 | 1365 | Bird-and-flower | Dongfang Shengcheng Auction Co. Ltd. | 2008-1-16 | -- | F | |
| Painting Scroll | |||||||
| 44 | 95 | Snow Aigrets | Chunhao, Hong Kong | 2008-1-19 | 1070 | F | |
| 45 | 120 | Spring on the River | Hong Kong Fude | 2008-9-6 | 5566 | F | Compared with the authentic version, it has the same manuscript but different brushwork. |
[1] Gao Juhan (Professor James Cahill), born in CA, USA, is one of the authorities on Chinese art history, and has been a professor of art history at the University of California, Berkeley, since 1965.
[1] Lin Lusi (Dr. Lucy Lim), graduated from the School of Arts, New York University, is a renowned American art critic, and one of the western pioneer scholars who started the study on Chinese paintings in 1980s. She has introduced a lot of Chinese artists to the West.
[1] Yang Yuepu, born in 1983 inBeijing, graduated from the faculty of oil panting, Beijing College of Art, is good at painting, calligraphy and fine art critique. Yang is currently an Editor in China Artists Association (CAA), a member of CAA and China Science Writer's Association, and receives government special allowance.
[1] Dr. Lu Mingjie is currently a consultant of Shanghai Hongsheng Auction Co.Ltd, an auctioneer at ZhongchengInternationalArtCenter and Jinshifa &Yiliu Auction Co.Ltd, and a visiting professor at China Academy of Fine Art. Dr. Lu was a former consultant of Beijing &Shanghai International Arts Exposition, the Secretary General and consultant of Taiwan Galley Association
