Chinese scrolls paintings, and especially exceptional historic examples with impeccable provenance, generate significant interest within the international collectors’ market when they appear at auction. Chinese hand scrolls and wall scrolls are prized for their exquisite craftsmanship and historical significance, and the right provenance can drive prices into the millions.
We run through the five highest-priced Chinese scrolls paintings sold at public auction, including what makes each piece extraordinary. Although please note we haven’t included scrolls that are exclusively calligraphy in this list. If you have a Chinese scroll that you would like valued then please get in touch for a no obligation valuation using the form below, or on our Asian art valuations page.
5. Yellow Mountain by Huang Binhong (1955)
Huang Binhong’s Yellow Mountain is a large ink-and-color hanging scroll of the famed Huangshan peaks, rendered in the artist’s signature late style. In 2017 it sold for RMB 345 million (approximately £39 million) at China Guardian Auctions, Beijing.
Yellow Mountain was completed in 1955, the year of Huang’s death and the painting exemplifies his mature technique of layered ink washes and bold wet brushwork to capture misty, grand landscapes. Remarkably, Huang painted this masterpiece at age 90 while nearly blind. He relied on memory from his trips to Huangshan decades earlier. The result is a tour-de-force of imagination and skill, fusing the traditional shan-shui (mountain and water) genre with Huang’s modern experimental ink textures.
Underappreciated in his lifetime, Huang foresaw his legacy, once saying, “People will acknowledge my paintings 50 years after I die.” Indeed, 62 years after his death Yellow Mountain fetched a record of approx. $50.6 million, which was over seven times its previous auction price in 2011. Collectors were drawn to the painting’s impeccable provenance (from a noted Chinese collection), incredible craftsmanship, and its significance as one of the last works by Huang.
Asian Art Valuations
For Asian art valuations we can personally recommend the specialists below. Both are leading UK experts in Chinese, Japanese and South East Asian works of art.
Alexander Clement MRICS ASFAV
Asian Art, Watches and General Valuations
Halls Fine Art
Tel: +44 (0)1743 450700
Email: [email protected]
About Alexander
Alexander studied History of Art and Design at Staffordshire University and began his career as curator of the Royal Doulton Museum. He later ran the Ceramics, Glass and Asian Art departments at Phillips (later Bonhams), before becoming Director of the Chester saleroom. Since joining Halls Fine Art in 2015, he has built a highly successful Asian art department, achieving house record prices and handling important collections across the UK.
Bill Forrest
Director | Head of Department, Chinese, Japanese & South East Asian Art
Roseberys
Tel: +44 (0)20 8761 2522
Email: [email protected]
About Bill
Bill graduated in Ancient History from the University of Leeds and is a member of the Oriental Ceramic Society. He joined Roseberys in 2015 and was appointed Head of Department for Chinese and Japanese Works of Art in 2016. He has achieved notable results for important Chinese works, including six-figure hammer prices, and regularly undertakes UK and international valuations of Asian art.
4. Eagle Standing on Pine Tree by Qi Baishi (1946)
Qi Baishi’s Eagle Standing on Pine Tree (1946) accompanied by a calligraphy couplet, achieved RMB 425.5 million (about £45 million) at the China Guardian Beijing auction in May 2011.
Eagle Standing on Pine Tree is a large hanging scroll in ink and light color, for this record setting sale it was paired with a four-character calligraphic couplet, also by Qi Baishi. There are a number of versions of this scroll, which was created by Qi when he was in his 80s. The piece demonstrates his mastery of expressive brushstrokes combined with an economical use of color to generate significant interest. This particular example was made more extraordinary by the inclusion of Qi’s own calligraphic couplet in seal script, which helped it achieve the record setting price.
However following the record sale in 2011 there were issues reported, with the buyer apparently refusing to pay and claiming the piece was a forgery. This controversy underscored a small but real issue within China’s booming traditional art market. Authentic masterpieces are exceedingly sought-after and working with an expert is an important part of establishing authenticity in order to get the highest possible price.
3. Wood and Rock by Su Shi (11th Century)
Wood and Rock is an exceptionally rare handscroll by Su Shi (1037–1101), the famed Song-dynasty scholar-official, poet and artist often called “the Chinese da Vinci.” The scroll painting realized HK$463,600,000 (approximately £46 million) when it sold at Christie’s Hong Kong in 2018.
This extraordinary ink scroll painting and calligraphy is just over 50 cm wide and depicts a weathered old tree trunk next to a strangely contorted rock. These simple subjects are popular topics for scroll paintings due to their scholarly symbolism of resilience and endurance. Su Shi is regarded as a master and in this scroll his unadorned brush style was revolutionary for its air of elegance and grace. Alongside the painting are colophons, which are inscribed comments and poems by later luminaries and owners of the piece. The colophons on this scroll include the calligrapher Mi Fu, adding to the provenance and rarity of this piece.
Wood and Rock is one of only two surviving Su Shi scroll paintings and prior to 2018 it had never been publicly exhibited. For the sale Christie’s noted that it is “possibly the world’s rarest and most valuable Chinese painting.”
2. Ten Views of a Lingbi Rock by Wu Bin (c. 1610)
The Ten Views of a Lingbi Rock by Wu Bin (Ming dynasty, c.1610) sold in 2020 at Poly Auction, Beijing for RMB 512.9 million (around £58 million) setting a record for a classical Chinese painting and becoming the most expensive single chinese scroll.
This 11-meter handscroll is one of ten meticulously painted perspectives of a fantastically shaped scholar’s rock, accompanied by inscriptions. Wu Bin’s Ten Views of a Lingbi Rock is a Ming dynasty masterpiece that epitomizes the era’s fascination with “strange stones.” Each illustration on this ink-on-paper handscroll is accompanied by Wu Bin’s elegant calligraphic notes. There is also an additional metre of colophons that take the total length of this scroll to over 12 metres!
The artist’s meticulous brushwork and shifting perspectives give a “panoramic view” of the stone’s form. Little is known about Wu Bin (c. 1560–1620) beyond his devout Buddhism and skill in both painting and calligraphy, but this scroll was recorded in imperial collections and revered by connoisseurs. At auction, its rarity and provenance spurred an intense bidding war lasting nearly an hour. Notably, this scroll had previously sold for $1.21 million in 1989, when it made history by becoming the first Chinese artwork to break the $1 million mark. This handscroll’s combination of artistic virtuosity, cultural significance, and legendary status in the collecting world justifies its record-setting value.
1. Twelve Landscape Screens by Qi Baishi (1925)
Qi Baishi’s iconic Twelve Landscape Screens, painted in 1925 was sold by Poly Auction, Beijing in 2017 for RMB 931.5 million (around £105 million), setting a record for Chinese paintings.
This series of twelve hanging scrolls remains the most expensive Chinese artwork ever sold at auction. Painted as a set, each panel showcases Qi Baishi’s masterful ink-wash landscapes with subtle color accents and accompanying calligraphy. The work was originally created as a birthday gift for a Beijing doctor and is one of only two such sets by Qi (the other is in a museum) and this provenance and rarity add to its record setting value. Collectors also prize Qi’s late traditionalist brushwork, which remained uninfluenced by Western art and imbued familiar subjects (pines, rocks, clouds) with lively spirit and texture.
“This painting is not only the most expensive Chinese work of art but also the first Chinese work of art that sold for a price above US$100 million,” noted Zhao Xu, chairman of Poly Auction, after the record-smashing sale. The result cemented Qi Baishi (1864–1957) as the first Chinese artist to join the “$100 million club,” with Twelve Landscape Screens heralded as his magnum opus and a national treasure in Chinese art.
