Christie's Fine Chinese Modern and Contemporary Ink Paintings Auction Totals $16.06m
3 min read · 30 Apr 2026
Landscape after Juran by Zhang Daqian sold for $907,600. Image courtesy of Christie's
A work by Zhang Daqian was the headline sale at Christie's 'Fine Chinese Modern and Contemporary Ink Paintings' auction on April 29 in Hong Kong.
- The sale totaled $16.06m (HKD125.8m), meeting the pre-sale estimate.
Snapshot of the sale
- 158 works sold totaling $16.06m.
- Estimates totaled: $15.51m (low) and $24.17m (high), excluding premiums.
- The sell-through rate was 86% of the original 184 lots announced.
The star lot was: Zhang Daqian, Landscape after Juran (1949), which sold for $907,600, 11% below its $1.02m low estimate. It has not been traded before.
Calligraphy – Many Blessings by Qi Gong sold for $372,800 (3551% above estimate). Image courtesy of Christie's
The outperformer sold for 3551% above its low estimate. Qi Gong, Calligraphy – Many Blessings (1989), sold for $372,800 ($10,200 low estimate).
- 100 works, or 63%, sold above their high estimate.
- 49 works, or 31%, sold within their low and high estimate.
- 9 works, or 6%, sold below their low estimate.
- 0 sold with undisclosed estimates.
Guaranteed sales
No sales had a guarantee.
Works that did not sell
25 works were bought-in, including: Fu Baoshi, Listening to Waterfall in Pine Forest (Undated), estimated at $1.28m (low) to $1.91m (high). It has not been traded before.
Withdrawn before the sale
1 work was withdrawn before the sale: Qi Baishi, Morning Glories and Dragonfly (Undated), estimated at $63,800 (low) to $102,100 (high).
Terms and definitions
All results include the fees and premiums added to the price of a work of art when the auctioneer's hammer falls. Estimates, sale prices and totals are converted into US dollars. Sale prices are compared to the auction house’s low estimate, which do not include premiums.
Guarantees: Sometimes an auction house guarantees to pay a seller for a work, regardless of whether the bidding reaches the reserve price, a figure that is typically confidential.
Bought-in: If there are no bids for a work, or if bidding falls short of the reserve price, the lot is unsold or “bought-in”.
Withdrawn: This happens when a seller decides, for whatever reason, to withdraw a work before the bidding begins.
Premiums: Typically a sliding-scale of charges paid in addition to the hammer price by the buyer, plus any other fees.
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