Decade 1610-1619
Except otherwise stated, all results include the premium.
See also : China Chinese art Chinese calligraphy Ming Ancient painting Rubens Italian sculpture Ancient Spain Groups Children Buddhism Christianity
See also : China Chinese art Chinese calligraphy Ming Ancient painting Rubens Italian sculpture Ancient Spain Groups Children Buddhism Christianity
WU BIN
1
1610 Lingbi Stone
2020 SOLD for RMB 510M by Poly
The gongshi is the rock of the literati. The erosion of the limestone has created strange shapes, simulating twisted columns rising to the sky. The larger ones are beloved ornaments in Chinese gardens. Lingbi, in Anshan province, is one of the three main deposits.
Mi Wanzhong, a painter and calligrapher, is a passionate collector whose artist name is Youshi, the friend of stones. Around 1610 CE he acquires an extraordinary Lingbi stone 50 cm high, simulating a forest with spectacular shrinkages and branches. He considers his artistic skills to be inadequate and calls his friend Wu Bin.
Wu Bin studies the stone for a month. His ten drawings display the specimen from all angles, with great precision of line and beautiful contrasts providing a superb texture effect. Each image is flanked by text.
Each of the ten elements measures 55 x 115 cm, for a total uninterrupted length of 11.5 m. The handscroll also includes two introductions respectively 26 x 112 cm and 48 x 143 cm and an epilogue 55 cm x 11.3 m with colophons.
Ten Views of a Lingbi Stone was sold for RMB 510M by Poly on October 18, 2020, lot 3922, after nearly an hour of bidding. It is illustrated with some enlarged details in the post sale report published by The Value. Please watch the much detailed video shared by Norton Museum of Art.
The Lingbi stone which served as a model only survived the ravages of time for a few decades.
Grok thought :
Quote
Economic Daily, China @EDNewsChina Oct 19, 2020
Can you believe it? A painting can be sold for 500 mln yuan! At the 15th anniversary celebration of #Beijing Poly International #Auction, the painting of Chinese painter Wu Bin is sold for 512.9 mln yuan, becoming the most expensive ancient painting and calligraphy in the world
During the Ming dynasty (1368–1644), the collection and appreciation of scholar's rocks, known as gongshi or guai shi (strange stones), reached its zenith among the literati class. Lingbi stones, sourced from Lingbi county in Anhui Province, were particularly coveted for their unique qualities: exceptional durability, resonant sound when struck (often described as metallic or jade-like), aesthetic beauty derived from their dark, glossy surfaces, and intricate natural formations featuring wrinkles, perforations, and bizarre shapes that evoked miniature landscapes or sacred mountains. These attributes made them symbols of primordial cosmic energies, embodying the enduring virtues of nature, longevity, and scholarly refinement.
Wu Bin's handscroll Ten Views of a Lingbi Stone (1610), sold as lot 3922 at Poly Auction on October 18, 2020, for RMB 512.9 million, serves as a quintessential artifact illustrating this cultural phenomenon. The nearly 28-meter-long ink-on-paper work, created by the Fujian-born painter and devout Buddhist Wu Bin (ca. 1543–ca. 1626), depicts a single Lingbi stone from ten distinct angles, using meticulous brushwork and subtle washes to capture its jagged, flame-like contours and dynamic, transformative essence. Commissioned by the stone's owner, the prominent collector and official Mi Wanzhong (1570–1628), the scroll not only documents the rock but elevates it through Wu's accompanying calligraphy and poetic inscriptions, treating it as a subject worthy of profound artistic exploration. Mi reportedly acquired this specific stone after a lengthy search and at great personal expense, underscoring the obsessive passion that drove Ming collectors.
This fascination stemmed from broader intellectual and aesthetic trends in Ming society. Literati viewed such stones as microcosms of the universe, infused with the same vital forces (qi) that shaped mountains and the cosmos, drawing from ancient Daoist and Confucian ideas of harmony with nature. Collecting peaked in the late Ming, fueled by economic prosperity, urbanization, and a scholarly retreat from political turmoil into private gardens and studios. Stones like Lingbi were displayed indoors or in gardens, often on custom pedestals, and inspired poetry, paintings, and even illustrated treatises on connoisseurship. Their value rivaled that of fine artworks or real estate, with collectors like Mi equating them to sacred objects capable of evoking supernatural qualities, such as emitting clouds or promoting health. Wu Bin's multi-perspective portrayal in the handscroll mirrors this craze by attempting to fully encapsulate the stone's elusive spirit, much like how scholars ritually "viewed" rocks from various angles to appreciate their infinite facets.
The tradition built on earlier dynasties—Tang poets like Bo Juyi celebrated similar rocks, while Song emperors like Huizong amassed collections and figures like Mi Fu famously "bowed" to stones—but Ming enthusiasts amplified it into a sophisticated cultural practice. Wu Bin's work, with its panoramic and almost reverential documentation, thus encapsulates how Lingbi stones transcended mere objects to become emblems of elite taste and philosophical contemplation in Ming China.
Mi Wanzhong, a painter and calligrapher, is a passionate collector whose artist name is Youshi, the friend of stones. Around 1610 CE he acquires an extraordinary Lingbi stone 50 cm high, simulating a forest with spectacular shrinkages and branches. He considers his artistic skills to be inadequate and calls his friend Wu Bin.
Wu Bin studies the stone for a month. His ten drawings display the specimen from all angles, with great precision of line and beautiful contrasts providing a superb texture effect. Each image is flanked by text.
Each of the ten elements measures 55 x 115 cm, for a total uninterrupted length of 11.5 m. The handscroll also includes two introductions respectively 26 x 112 cm and 48 x 143 cm and an epilogue 55 cm x 11.3 m with colophons.
Ten Views of a Lingbi Stone was sold for RMB 510M by Poly on October 18, 2020, lot 3922, after nearly an hour of bidding. It is illustrated with some enlarged details in the post sale report published by The Value. Please watch the much detailed video shared by Norton Museum of Art.
The Lingbi stone which served as a model only survived the ravages of time for a few decades.
Grok thought :
Quote
Economic Daily, China @EDNewsChina Oct 19, 2020
Can you believe it? A painting can be sold for 500 mln yuan! At the 15th anniversary celebration of #Beijing Poly International #Auction, the painting of Chinese painter Wu Bin is sold for 512.9 mln yuan, becoming the most expensive ancient painting and calligraphy in the world
- The post announces the 2020 sale of Ming Dynasty artist Wu Bin's 27-meter handscroll "Ten Views of a Fantastic Rock" for 512.9 million yuan ($77 million) at Beijing Poly Auction, setting a world record for ancient Chinese painting and calligraphy at the time.
- Wu Bin, active in the late 16th century, specialized in surreal ink depictions of Lingbi stones—resonant scholar's rocks prized in Chinese culture for their auditory and aesthetic qualities, blending calligraphy and landscape in literati tradition.
- Despite a 2025 calligraphy sale by Rao Jie fetching $32 million, Wu Bin's work holds as the most expensive ancient Chinese painting auctioned, highlighting sustained global interest in Ming-era art amid China's booming art market.
During the Ming dynasty (1368–1644), the collection and appreciation of scholar's rocks, known as gongshi or guai shi (strange stones), reached its zenith among the literati class. Lingbi stones, sourced from Lingbi county in Anhui Province, were particularly coveted for their unique qualities: exceptional durability, resonant sound when struck (often described as metallic or jade-like), aesthetic beauty derived from their dark, glossy surfaces, and intricate natural formations featuring wrinkles, perforations, and bizarre shapes that evoked miniature landscapes or sacred mountains. These attributes made them symbols of primordial cosmic energies, embodying the enduring virtues of nature, longevity, and scholarly refinement.
Wu Bin's handscroll Ten Views of a Lingbi Stone (1610), sold as lot 3922 at Poly Auction on October 18, 2020, for RMB 512.9 million, serves as a quintessential artifact illustrating this cultural phenomenon. The nearly 28-meter-long ink-on-paper work, created by the Fujian-born painter and devout Buddhist Wu Bin (ca. 1543–ca. 1626), depicts a single Lingbi stone from ten distinct angles, using meticulous brushwork and subtle washes to capture its jagged, flame-like contours and dynamic, transformative essence. Commissioned by the stone's owner, the prominent collector and official Mi Wanzhong (1570–1628), the scroll not only documents the rock but elevates it through Wu's accompanying calligraphy and poetic inscriptions, treating it as a subject worthy of profound artistic exploration. Mi reportedly acquired this specific stone after a lengthy search and at great personal expense, underscoring the obsessive passion that drove Ming collectors.
This fascination stemmed from broader intellectual and aesthetic trends in Ming society. Literati viewed such stones as microcosms of the universe, infused with the same vital forces (qi) that shaped mountains and the cosmos, drawing from ancient Daoist and Confucian ideas of harmony with nature. Collecting peaked in the late Ming, fueled by economic prosperity, urbanization, and a scholarly retreat from political turmoil into private gardens and studios. Stones like Lingbi were displayed indoors or in gardens, often on custom pedestals, and inspired poetry, paintings, and even illustrated treatises on connoisseurship. Their value rivaled that of fine artworks or real estate, with collectors like Mi equating them to sacred objects capable of evoking supernatural qualities, such as emitting clouds or promoting health. Wu Bin's multi-perspective portrayal in the handscroll mirrors this craze by attempting to fully encapsulate the stone's elusive spirit, much like how scholars ritually "viewed" rocks from various angles to appreciate their infinite facets.
The tradition built on earlier dynasties—Tang poets like Bo Juyi celebrated similar rocks, while Song emperors like Huizong amassed collections and figures like Mi Fu famously "bowed" to stones—but Ming enthusiasts amplified it into a sophisticated cultural practice. Wu Bin's work, with its panoramic and almost reverential documentation, thus encapsulates how Lingbi stones transcended mere objects to become emblems of elite taste and philosophical contemplation in Ming China.
Details on Ten Views of a Lingbi Stone
Wu Bin's Ten Views of a Lingbi Stone (also known as Ten Views of a Lingbi Rock) is a monumental handscroll painting created in 1610 during the Ming dynasty's Wanli reign (1573–1620). Executed in ink on paper by the artist Wu Bin (c. 1543–c. 1626), a professional painter and devout Buddhist known for his eccentric landscapes and figure works, the scroll measures approximately 27 meters in length when fully unrolled, making it one of the longest surviving Chinese handscrolls. It depicts a single Lingbi stone—a type of limestone scholar's rock prized for its resonant sound, dark glossy surface, and bizarre natural formations—from ten distinct angles, capturing its intricate peaks, veins, perforations, and flame-like contours with meticulous brushwork and subtle tonal washes. The stone itself, sourced from Lingbi county in Anhui Province, was about 63.7 cm tall in reality but rendered slightly smaller at around 51 cm in the painting for proportional accuracy. Each view is presented sequentially: front, back, sides, diagonals, and even bottoms, with the tenth view featuring Wu's signature to signify completion. The artwork includes detailed inscriptions with measurements (e.g., the middle peak at 1 chi 7 cun) and poetic colophons by contemporaries like Dong Qichang and Chen Jiru, as well as later Qing dynasty figures, enhancing its documentary and literary value.
The creation process was intensive and meditative. Commissioned by Mi Wanzhong (1570–1628), a high-ranking official, calligrapher, and avid collector who acquired the stone after a prolonged search, Wu Bin spent a full month examining the rock in Mi's Beijing studio, merging his consciousness with it through repetitive observation. This allowed him to exhaustively depict its multifaceted form, shifting from objective representation to an expressive negation of its physicality, where the painting itself assumes the stone's presence. Mi's account praises Wu's skill in scaling and reconstructing the stone, akin to early photogrammetry, while the process reflects late Ming empirical interests in mineralogy and perceptual sciences.
Historically and culturally, the handscroll epitomizes the Ming dynasty's obsession with scholar's rocks (gongshi), which were collected by literati as microcosms of the universe, embodying primordial energies (qi) and capable of magical transformations like emitting clouds, predicting weather, or healing. Lingbi stones, in particular, were revered for their durability and jade-like resonance, symbolizing Daoist and Buddhist ideals of harmony, illusion, and enlightenment. The work fits into the era's "wanshang" collecting culture, where such objects and their depictions constructed personal realities amid political turmoil and intellectual syncretism between Confucianism, Daoism, and resurgent Buddhism. Philosophically, it draws from Yogācāra Buddhism, revived in late Ming China, viewing perception as worldmaking: the ten views symbolize comprehensive vision transcending sensory limits, evoking concepts like the ten directions in Buddhist cosmology and meditative practices from the Śūraṅgama Sūtra to realize ultimate reality beyond illusion. It parallels Yangming Confucianism's mind-object relations, where phenomena manifest from consciousness, and incorporates Tathāgatagarbha ideas for soteriological depth.
In terms of ownership and market history, the scroll has a notable provenance. It was exhibited in Beijing, Nanjing, and Fujian during the Ming and Qing periods, accumulating colophons from elite scholars. In modern times, it became the first Chinese painting to sell for over a million dollars at Sotheby's in December 1989. More recently, it fetched a record RMB 512.9 million (approximately USD 77.1 million) at Poly Auction in Beijing on October 18, 2020, as lot 3922, marking one of the highest prices for a classical Chinese artwork.
The handscroll has been featured in major exhibitions, most prominently "Wu Bin: Ten Views of a Lingbi Stone" at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA)'s Resnick Pavilion from December 10, 2017, to June 24, 2018. This show contextualized the painting alongside actual Lingbi and Taihu stones, contemporary ink paintings, and explored the broader history of stone collecting in China, tying it to Daoist cosmology and classical poetry. Its enduring significance lies in elevating a natural object to profound artistic and philosophical status, making it a landmark of Chinese art history and the most extraordinary depiction of a stone ever created.
Wu Bin's Ten Views of a Lingbi Stone (also known as Ten Views of a Lingbi Rock) is a monumental handscroll painting created in 1610 during the Ming dynasty's Wanli reign (1573–1620). Executed in ink on paper by the artist Wu Bin (c. 1543–c. 1626), a professional painter and devout Buddhist known for his eccentric landscapes and figure works, the scroll measures approximately 27 meters in length when fully unrolled, making it one of the longest surviving Chinese handscrolls. It depicts a single Lingbi stone—a type of limestone scholar's rock prized for its resonant sound, dark glossy surface, and bizarre natural formations—from ten distinct angles, capturing its intricate peaks, veins, perforations, and flame-like contours with meticulous brushwork and subtle tonal washes. The stone itself, sourced from Lingbi county in Anhui Province, was about 63.7 cm tall in reality but rendered slightly smaller at around 51 cm in the painting for proportional accuracy. Each view is presented sequentially: front, back, sides, diagonals, and even bottoms, with the tenth view featuring Wu's signature to signify completion. The artwork includes detailed inscriptions with measurements (e.g., the middle peak at 1 chi 7 cun) and poetic colophons by contemporaries like Dong Qichang and Chen Jiru, as well as later Qing dynasty figures, enhancing its documentary and literary value.
The creation process was intensive and meditative. Commissioned by Mi Wanzhong (1570–1628), a high-ranking official, calligrapher, and avid collector who acquired the stone after a prolonged search, Wu Bin spent a full month examining the rock in Mi's Beijing studio, merging his consciousness with it through repetitive observation. This allowed him to exhaustively depict its multifaceted form, shifting from objective representation to an expressive negation of its physicality, where the painting itself assumes the stone's presence. Mi's account praises Wu's skill in scaling and reconstructing the stone, akin to early photogrammetry, while the process reflects late Ming empirical interests in mineralogy and perceptual sciences.
Historically and culturally, the handscroll epitomizes the Ming dynasty's obsession with scholar's rocks (gongshi), which were collected by literati as microcosms of the universe, embodying primordial energies (qi) and capable of magical transformations like emitting clouds, predicting weather, or healing. Lingbi stones, in particular, were revered for their durability and jade-like resonance, symbolizing Daoist and Buddhist ideals of harmony, illusion, and enlightenment. The work fits into the era's "wanshang" collecting culture, where such objects and their depictions constructed personal realities amid political turmoil and intellectual syncretism between Confucianism, Daoism, and resurgent Buddhism. Philosophically, it draws from Yogācāra Buddhism, revived in late Ming China, viewing perception as worldmaking: the ten views symbolize comprehensive vision transcending sensory limits, evoking concepts like the ten directions in Buddhist cosmology and meditative practices from the Śūraṅgama Sūtra to realize ultimate reality beyond illusion. It parallels Yangming Confucianism's mind-object relations, where phenomena manifest from consciousness, and incorporates Tathāgatagarbha ideas for soteriological depth.
In terms of ownership and market history, the scroll has a notable provenance. It was exhibited in Beijing, Nanjing, and Fujian during the Ming and Qing periods, accumulating colophons from elite scholars. In modern times, it became the first Chinese painting to sell for over a million dollars at Sotheby's in December 1989. More recently, it fetched a record RMB 512.9 million (approximately USD 77.1 million) at Poly Auction in Beijing on October 18, 2020, as lot 3922, marking one of the highest prices for a classical Chinese artwork.
The handscroll has been featured in major exhibitions, most prominently "Wu Bin: Ten Views of a Lingbi Stone" at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA)'s Resnick Pavilion from December 10, 2017, to June 24, 2018. This show contextualized the painting alongside actual Lingbi and Taihu stones, contemporary ink paintings, and explored the broader history of stone collecting in China, tying it to Daoist cosmology and classical poetry. Its enduring significance lies in elevating a natural object to profound artistic and philosophical status, making it a landmark of Chinese art history and the most extraordinary depiction of a stone ever created.
Can you believe it? A painting can be sold for 500 mln yuan! At the 15th anniversary celebration of #Beijing Poly International #Auction, the painting of Chinese painter Wu Bin is sold for 512.9 mln yuan, becoming the most expensive ancient painting and calligraphy in the world□ pic.twitter.com/N8Pr46VEnB
— Economic Daily, China (@EDNewsChina) October 19, 2020
2
1615 Eighteen Luohans
2009 SOLD for RMB 170M by Poly
The original followers of Buddha are named Arhats in India and Luohans in China. They have a personal name and specific attributes. Their traditional number, eighteen, is not fixed by a sacred text. They have been admitted to Nirvana.
Wu Bin, who was a very skilled landscape artist in the Wanli era, was also a caricaturist. He was a devout Buddhist while remaining secular. He loved to ridicule the Luohans, therefore assessing that they were human beings.
The MET has a 32 x 415 cm scroll with sixteen Luohans. It bears a date corresponding to 1591 CE, and is arguably one of Wu Bin's earliest works on this subject. The serious and grotesque characters are stylized, but they are all different one another.
The Cleveland Museum of Art has an undated scroll 38 x 2500 cm by Wu Bin featuring 500 Luohans with 18 assistants plus Guanyin. They exercise their powers in an endless variety of situations. They know how to tame tigers and dragons, walk on water, fly on the back of a crane.
On November 22, 2009, Poly sold a 31 x 570 cm scroll by Wu Bin for RMB 170M from a lower estimate of RMB 20M, lot 5125. It is referenced and illustrated in an article published in 2020 by The Value.
A date inscribed in the work corresponds to 1615 CE. The eighteen Luohans are accompanied by grotesque animals. The Qianlong emperor, better known for his erudition than as a humorist, commented in a colophon about the quietened dragon which holds the sacred book in its claws.
Wu Bin, who was a very skilled landscape artist in the Wanli era, was also a caricaturist. He was a devout Buddhist while remaining secular. He loved to ridicule the Luohans, therefore assessing that they were human beings.
The MET has a 32 x 415 cm scroll with sixteen Luohans. It bears a date corresponding to 1591 CE, and is arguably one of Wu Bin's earliest works on this subject. The serious and grotesque characters are stylized, but they are all different one another.
The Cleveland Museum of Art has an undated scroll 38 x 2500 cm by Wu Bin featuring 500 Luohans with 18 assistants plus Guanyin. They exercise their powers in an endless variety of situations. They know how to tame tigers and dragons, walk on water, fly on the back of a crane.
On November 22, 2009, Poly sold a 31 x 570 cm scroll by Wu Bin for RMB 170M from a lower estimate of RMB 20M, lot 5125. It is referenced and illustrated in an article published in 2020 by The Value.
A date inscribed in the work corresponds to 1615 CE. The eighteen Luohans are accompanied by grotesque animals. The Qianlong emperor, better known for his erudition than as a humorist, commented in a colophon about the quietened dragon which holds the sacred book in its claws.
RUBENS
1
1610 The Massacre of the Innocents
2002 SOLD for £ 50M by Sotheby's
When Rubens returned to Antwerp in November 1608, he brought with him the new Baroque trends in Italian art. He exercises his art for the very important commissions from the churches of Antwerp finally liberated from the wars of religion, and also for private clients.
Highly influenced by the art of Caravaggio at that time, Rubens shows heavily emotional scenes, with dynamic and complex compositions, violent lights, bodies twisted by hatred or despair. He uses skinned figures as models for his scary naked soldiers.
Two paintings made for private use at the beginning of this new phase entered together in 1702 in the collection of the princes of Liechtenstein. After a loss of traceability in the inventories of the Liechtenstein collection, the two artworks were later attributed to an assistant from the end of career of Rubens named Jan van den Hoecke.
Samson et Delilah is an oil on wood 185 x 205 cm originally painted for the collection of the Lord Mayor of Antwerp. The theme of the colossus neutralized by the ingenuity of women, staged at the fatal moment, may be compared with the Judith of Caravaggio. The original version was authenticated in 1929 and sold by Christie's on July 11, 1980 for £ 2.53M.
The Massacre of the Innocents (De kindermoord te Bethlehem) was known by a copy kept in Brussels. The version attributed to van den Hoecke is brought for sale to Sotheby's. Comparing this 142 x 182 cm oil on wood with the Samson and Delilah, the expert of the auction house recognizes that he has in his hands the real original by Rubens.
This reattribution is convincing. The Massacre of the Innocents was sold for £ 50M by Sotheby's on July 10, 2002 from a lower estimate of £ 4M. Here is the link to the pre sale press release. The image is shared by Wikimedia.
1610 is considered as the most likely year for the creation of this artwork. The background of the image does not show Bethlehem but the temple of Castor and Pollux, proving that Rubens was still dazzled by the beauties of Rome. It has been also considered as a reminiscence from the atrocities of the religious wars. It is undoubtedly a masterpiece by Rubens, in a near perfect condition.
Grok thought :
Quote
mandel @Mandel43528747 Jul 27, 2018
Most expansive paintings-Massacre of the innocents by Peter Paul Ruben,1610.The flamboyant and dramatic work by Rubens-bought by Kenneth Thompson at Sotheby's London,July 2002. Sotheby's had estimated its price at a mere 76.7 million USD.
Highly influenced by the art of Caravaggio at that time, Rubens shows heavily emotional scenes, with dynamic and complex compositions, violent lights, bodies twisted by hatred or despair. He uses skinned figures as models for his scary naked soldiers.
Two paintings made for private use at the beginning of this new phase entered together in 1702 in the collection of the princes of Liechtenstein. After a loss of traceability in the inventories of the Liechtenstein collection, the two artworks were later attributed to an assistant from the end of career of Rubens named Jan van den Hoecke.
Samson et Delilah is an oil on wood 185 x 205 cm originally painted for the collection of the Lord Mayor of Antwerp. The theme of the colossus neutralized by the ingenuity of women, staged at the fatal moment, may be compared with the Judith of Caravaggio. The original version was authenticated in 1929 and sold by Christie's on July 11, 1980 for £ 2.53M.
The Massacre of the Innocents (De kindermoord te Bethlehem) was known by a copy kept in Brussels. The version attributed to van den Hoecke is brought for sale to Sotheby's. Comparing this 142 x 182 cm oil on wood with the Samson and Delilah, the expert of the auction house recognizes that he has in his hands the real original by Rubens.
This reattribution is convincing. The Massacre of the Innocents was sold for £ 50M by Sotheby's on July 10, 2002 from a lower estimate of £ 4M. Here is the link to the pre sale press release. The image is shared by Wikimedia.
1610 is considered as the most likely year for the creation of this artwork. The background of the image does not show Bethlehem but the temple of Castor and Pollux, proving that Rubens was still dazzled by the beauties of Rome. It has been also considered as a reminiscence from the atrocities of the religious wars. It is undoubtedly a masterpiece by Rubens, in a near perfect condition.
Grok thought :
Quote
mandel @Mandel43528747 Jul 27, 2018
Most expansive paintings-Massacre of the innocents by Peter Paul Ruben,1610.The flamboyant and dramatic work by Rubens-bought by Kenneth Thompson at Sotheby's London,July 2002. Sotheby's had estimated its price at a mere 76.7 million USD.
- The post highlights Peter Paul Rubens' 1610 Baroque masterpiece "Massacre of the Innocents," depicting the biblical slaughter of infants with dynamic chaos and emotional turmoil, as shown in the attached image of soldiers amid despairing mothers.
- It notes the painting's record sale for £49.5 million ($76.7 million USD) at Sotheby's London in July 2002 to Kenneth Thomson, exceeding the house's estimate.
- Rediscovered and reattributed to Rubens from a long-held private collection just before auction, the work set the Old Master price benchmark until 2017, underscoring Rubens' enduring market value despite its violent theme.
_De_kindermoord_te_Bethlehem_-_Rubenshuis_Antwerpen_27-09-2018.jpg)
2
1614 Lot and his Daughters
2016 SOLD for £ 45M by Christie's
Peter Paul Rubens was able to achieve the dream of the greatest artists : assimilating the art of his predecessors and going further. He came back from Italy in 1608 and settled in Antwerp, the city of his childhood. Peace has returned and the time is conducive to art. Aristocratic and religious commissions flow.
In Italy, Rubens had admired Titian. In the north, he sees the increasingly risqué themes by Goltzius and Wtewael. Taboos fall : Bible and mythology offer erotic stories through moral excuses.
On July 7, 2016, Christie's sold as lot 12 for £ 45M Lot and his daughters, oil on canvas 190 x 225 cm painted by Rubens circa 1614. This painting is a rediscovery : it had not been seen since a failed attempt of sale in 1904 and 1905 and its re-inspection pushes it among the masterpieces of the artist.
Rubens offers here a three character scene of high psychological complexity. In 1608, François de Sales judged that the story of Lot was not an incest but a forgivable sin. Lot is a nice old drunkard, like Noah.
In his great compositions from this phase of his career, Rubens wisely mixes nude and clothing. Although the bare flesh is the main target of the work, such a mingled attire brings presence and actuality to his antique theme. Samson and Delilah, the Massacre of the Innocents and the Drunken Silenus are other famous examples.
The abundant flesh is processed in an impasto that allows subtle variations of light and texture and promotes the sensual effect despite the advanced age of the man. Lot and his daughters remained in excellent condition in which only an aging varnish may be slightly blamed.
The artist had carefully read the Genesis : the two women were not made pregnant in the same day and only one is naked, ready but also worrying for the act. Her sister is closer to the father, with the charming smile of a woman who is achieving her conspiracy. The attitude and indeed the splendidly haggard gaze of the man express his full intoxication that encourages the nude girl to pour the wine once again. The Silenus will reuse similar characters in 1616.
Please watch the video shared by Christie's. The image is shared by Wikimedia.
In Italy, Rubens had admired Titian. In the north, he sees the increasingly risqué themes by Goltzius and Wtewael. Taboos fall : Bible and mythology offer erotic stories through moral excuses.
On July 7, 2016, Christie's sold as lot 12 for £ 45M Lot and his daughters, oil on canvas 190 x 225 cm painted by Rubens circa 1614. This painting is a rediscovery : it had not been seen since a failed attempt of sale in 1904 and 1905 and its re-inspection pushes it among the masterpieces of the artist.
Rubens offers here a three character scene of high psychological complexity. In 1608, François de Sales judged that the story of Lot was not an incest but a forgivable sin. Lot is a nice old drunkard, like Noah.
In his great compositions from this phase of his career, Rubens wisely mixes nude and clothing. Although the bare flesh is the main target of the work, such a mingled attire brings presence and actuality to his antique theme. Samson and Delilah, the Massacre of the Innocents and the Drunken Silenus are other famous examples.
The abundant flesh is processed in an impasto that allows subtle variations of light and texture and promotes the sensual effect despite the advanced age of the man. Lot and his daughters remained in excellent condition in which only an aging varnish may be slightly blamed.
The artist had carefully read the Genesis : the two women were not made pregnant in the same day and only one is naked, ready but also worrying for the act. Her sister is closer to the father, with the charming smile of a woman who is achieving her conspiracy. The attitude and indeed the splendidly haggard gaze of the man express his full intoxication that encourages the nude girl to pour the wine once again. The Silenus will reuse similar characters in 1616.
Please watch the video shared by Christie's. The image is shared by Wikimedia.
3
1612-1614 Portrait of a Commander
2010 SOLD for £ 9M by Christie's
On July 6, 2010, Christie's sold for £ 9M the portrait of a commander by Rubens. The character is not named, and he can be considered as allegorical. He wears a heavy armor, a model that is more reminiscent of the late Renaissance in the previous century.
Represented in three quarter length, the man embodies the power of an officer who goes into battle. He pays little attention to two young pages busy adjusting his equipment. The press release with an illustration of this painting is shared by AuctionPublicity.
This oil on panel 123 x 98 cm made around 1612 to 1614, looks like a Titian by the quality of its composition and also the liveliness of its animation.
Rubens had visited Italy between 1600 and 1608 to study the great masters, and had fallen under the spell of the work of his Venetian predecessor. He could not ignore the room of the Caesars in the Palace in Mantua, where were gathered twelve portraits by Titian of men in armor.
The image is shared by Wikimedia.
Represented in three quarter length, the man embodies the power of an officer who goes into battle. He pays little attention to two young pages busy adjusting his equipment. The press release with an illustration of this painting is shared by AuctionPublicity.
This oil on panel 123 x 98 cm made around 1612 to 1614, looks like a Titian by the quality of its composition and also the liveliness of its animation.
Rubens had visited Italy between 1600 and 1608 to study the great masters, and had fallen under the spell of the work of his Venetian predecessor. He could not ignore the room of the Caesars in the Palace in Mantua, where were gathered twelve portraits by Titian of men in armor.
The image is shared by Wikimedia.
%2C_Portrait_of_a_commander%2C_Christie's_Images.jpg)
4
1619-1622 Portrait of a Man as the God Mars
2023 SOLD for $ 26M by Sotheby's
A Portrait of a Man as the God Mars by Rubens, oil on canvas 83 x 66 cm, was sold by Sotheby's for $ 8.3M on January 28, 2000, lot 51, for £ 4.4M on July 10, 2002, lot 52, and for $ 26M on May 16, 2023, lot 133. Please watch the video shared by the auction house. The image is shared by Wikimedia.
This warrior featured slightly over life size holds a pike and wears a helmet, tunic, mail shirt, cuirass and lion's pelt. By the confronting gaze and the aggressively curved nose, it is a heroic allegory. De Chirico re-used this proud and confident image in a Self portrait with a helmet.
This Baroque imaginary portrait is seeming close to the Titus from Titian's series of Roman Caesars in armors in the Palace of Mantua, lost in a fire in 1734.
A keen collector of antique art and artifacts, Rubens owned a similar helmet all'antica, in fact a very rare Renaissance parade replica.
The date has been much debated. A recent iteration is suggesting between 1619 and 1622 based of the technique used to paint the feather and fur, thus positioning it after the Decimus Mus tapestry cycle and before he left for Paris for a royal commission. He portrayed the queen mother Marie de Médicis as a sister goddess of Mars.
This warrior featured slightly over life size holds a pike and wears a helmet, tunic, mail shirt, cuirass and lion's pelt. By the confronting gaze and the aggressively curved nose, it is a heroic allegory. De Chirico re-used this proud and confident image in a Self portrait with a helmet.
This Baroque imaginary portrait is seeming close to the Titus from Titian's series of Roman Caesars in armors in the Palace of Mantua, lost in a fire in 1734.
A keen collector of antique art and artifacts, Rubens owned a similar helmet all'antica, in fact a very rare Renaissance parade replica.
The date has been much debated. A recent iteration is suggesting between 1619 and 1622 based of the technique used to paint the feather and fur, thus positioning it after the Decimus Mus tapestry cycle and before he left for Paris for a royal commission. He portrayed the queen mother Marie de Médicis as a sister goddess of Mars.
1613 Landscape and Calligraphy by Dong Qichang
2020 SOLD for RMB 75M by China Guardian
In the later Ming Dynasty, Dong Qichang is a theoretician of graphic art. He describes two opposing traditional tendencies named by him Northern school and Southern school. These wordings are now regarded as not relevant because they correspond in no way to geographically distinct artistic styles.
Dong attributed to the North a realism in the Confucian tradition, more concerned by objectivity than by art. His Southern school promotes free forms close to the later European romanticism. The southern artistic creation invites to emotion and dream in the Daoist tradition.
An album is made of ten sheets of gold paper 29.5 x 22.5 cm, in ink without color. Mountain scenes and calligraphies are displayed in full pages. Each poem on left side is related to the drawing on right side.
It is dated in the 41st year of Wanli, 1613 CE, when the artist lived and traveled in the south of the Yangtze river, eight years after losing his official position. His style is in imitation of the masters of the Yuan dynasty. The simple and spacious compositions are made with quick brush in light ink.
The volume was sold for RMB 75M from a lower estimate of RMB 35M by China Guardian on August 16, 2020, lot 780.
Dong attributed to the North a realism in the Confucian tradition, more concerned by objectivity than by art. His Southern school promotes free forms close to the later European romanticism. The southern artistic creation invites to emotion and dream in the Daoist tradition.
An album is made of ten sheets of gold paper 29.5 x 22.5 cm, in ink without color. Mountain scenes and calligraphies are displayed in full pages. Each poem on left side is related to the drawing on right side.
It is dated in the 41st year of Wanli, 1613 CE, when the artist lived and traveled in the south of the Yangtze river, eight years after losing his official position. His style is in imitation of the masters of the Yuan dynasty. The simple and spacious compositions are made with quick brush in light ink.
The volume was sold for RMB 75M from a lower estimate of RMB 35M by China Guardian on August 16, 2020, lot 780.
1616-1672 Echo through the Mountains by Dong Qichang et alia
2023 SOLD for HK$ 190M by China Guardian
Dong Qichang desired to be an arbiter of taste. He constituted with younger fellows a sort of academy later identified as the Nine Friends in Painting (Hua Zhong Jiu You) by poet Wu Weiye in 1655 CE.
The scholar artist Wu Hufan began in 1933 collecting albums of art and associated calligraphies by each of the nine. The collection was complete in 1947. The albums were carefully assembled into a unified shape with the overall title Echo through the mountains : Landscapes and Calligraphy by the Nine Friends in Painting.
The earliest entry is an album by Dong Qichang of eight leaves 25.3 x 17.5 cm dated bingchen, 1616 CE. It is titled Album of Landscapes after Old Masters. The next one, in 1622 by Li Liufang, is titled Album of Landscapes and Calligraphies. The latest, made in 1672, brings the overall total to 108 leaves. Its art is by the youngest, Wang Jian, who was aged 38 at Dong's passing in 1636.
The nine volumes were sold for HK $ 190M by China Guardian as a single lot on June 12, 2023, lot 790.
The story of the Nine Friends in Painting (Hua Zhong Jiu You) around Dong Qichang
The "Nine Friends in Painting" (Hua Zhong Jiu You, 画中九友) refers to a celebrated group of nine Chinese artists, poets, and scholars active during the late Ming Dynasty (1368–1644) and the early Qing Dynasty (1644–1912). This informal circle emerged amid a period of political turmoil, including the fall of the Ming and the rise of the Qing, when literati sought refuge in artistic and intellectual pursuits. The group emphasized the Southern School of painting, which prioritized expressive, scholarly brushwork over realistic depiction, drawing from Daoist-inspired romanticism and emotional depth.
Formation and Naming
The group was not formally organized during their lifetimes but retroactively named and celebrated in an undated poem titled "Huazhong Jiuyou Ge" ("Song of the Nine Friends in Painting") by the poet Wu Weiye (1609–1671), written around 1655. Wu's poem honored their collaborative spirit and artistic legacy. Centered in the Songjiang region (near modern-day Shanghai), the circle formed around the influential figure of Dong Qichang, who acted as a mentor and arbiter of taste. Dong gathered younger artists into a loose academy-like network to promote literati traditions, where painting, calligraphy, and poetry intertwined as expressions of personal cultivation and intellectual refinement. Their activities included creating shared albums of landscapes, calligraphies, and poems, often collaborating on works that echoed ancient masters while innovating within the orthodox style.
Connection to Dong Qichang
Dong Qichang (1555–1636), a prominent Ming official, painter, calligrapher, and art theorist, was the pivotal figure in the group. He championed the division of Chinese painting into "Northern" (realistic, professional) and "Southern" (expressive, amateur literati) schools, advocating for the latter as superior for conveying inner spirit. Dong's influence extended through mentorship; many members were his protégés or admirers who adopted his theories. For instance, he encouraged collaborative projects, such as albums where each contributed leaves of art and inscriptions. His death in 1636 marked the end of the group's active phase, but their works continued to inspire Qing-era orthodoxy.
The Nine Members
All members were multifaceted literati—poets, painters, and scholars—who blended artistic creation with scholarly discourse. Here's a list with brief backgrounds:
The Nine Friends symbolized the resilience of literati culture during dynastic change, influencing subsequent generations like the Four Wangs and the Huangshan School. Their collaborative albums, such as Resounding through the Mountains: Landscapes and Calligraphy by 'Hua Zhong Jiu You' (with 108 leaves spanning decades), exemplify shared creativity and have fetched high prices at auctions, underscoring their enduring value. Today, they represent a bridge between Ming innovation and Qing conservatism in Chinese art history.
The scholar artist Wu Hufan began in 1933 collecting albums of art and associated calligraphies by each of the nine. The collection was complete in 1947. The albums were carefully assembled into a unified shape with the overall title Echo through the mountains : Landscapes and Calligraphy by the Nine Friends in Painting.
The earliest entry is an album by Dong Qichang of eight leaves 25.3 x 17.5 cm dated bingchen, 1616 CE. It is titled Album of Landscapes after Old Masters. The next one, in 1622 by Li Liufang, is titled Album of Landscapes and Calligraphies. The latest, made in 1672, brings the overall total to 108 leaves. Its art is by the youngest, Wang Jian, who was aged 38 at Dong's passing in 1636.
The nine volumes were sold for HK $ 190M by China Guardian as a single lot on June 12, 2023, lot 790.
The story of the Nine Friends in Painting (Hua Zhong Jiu You) around Dong Qichang
The "Nine Friends in Painting" (Hua Zhong Jiu You, 画中九友) refers to a celebrated group of nine Chinese artists, poets, and scholars active during the late Ming Dynasty (1368–1644) and the early Qing Dynasty (1644–1912). This informal circle emerged amid a period of political turmoil, including the fall of the Ming and the rise of the Qing, when literati sought refuge in artistic and intellectual pursuits. The group emphasized the Southern School of painting, which prioritized expressive, scholarly brushwork over realistic depiction, drawing from Daoist-inspired romanticism and emotional depth.
Formation and Naming
The group was not formally organized during their lifetimes but retroactively named and celebrated in an undated poem titled "Huazhong Jiuyou Ge" ("Song of the Nine Friends in Painting") by the poet Wu Weiye (1609–1671), written around 1655. Wu's poem honored their collaborative spirit and artistic legacy. Centered in the Songjiang region (near modern-day Shanghai), the circle formed around the influential figure of Dong Qichang, who acted as a mentor and arbiter of taste. Dong gathered younger artists into a loose academy-like network to promote literati traditions, where painting, calligraphy, and poetry intertwined as expressions of personal cultivation and intellectual refinement. Their activities included creating shared albums of landscapes, calligraphies, and poems, often collaborating on works that echoed ancient masters while innovating within the orthodox style.
Connection to Dong Qichang
Dong Qichang (1555–1636), a prominent Ming official, painter, calligrapher, and art theorist, was the pivotal figure in the group. He championed the division of Chinese painting into "Northern" (realistic, professional) and "Southern" (expressive, amateur literati) schools, advocating for the latter as superior for conveying inner spirit. Dong's influence extended through mentorship; many members were his protégés or admirers who adopted his theories. For instance, he encouraged collaborative projects, such as albums where each contributed leaves of art and inscriptions. His death in 1636 marked the end of the group's active phase, but their works continued to inspire Qing-era orthodoxy.
The Nine Members
All members were multifaceted literati—poets, painters, and scholars—who blended artistic creation with scholarly discourse. Here's a list with brief backgrounds:
- Dong Qichang (董其昌, 1555–1636): The group's leader and theorist; a high-ranking Ming official known for landscape paintings and calligraphy that emulated ancient styles like those of Wang Wei.
- Yang Wencong (杨文聪, 1597–1645): A poet and painter from Songjiang; focused on literati landscapes and was influenced by Dong's emphasis on brushwork.
- Cheng Jiasui (程嘉燧, 1565–1643): A scholar-painter skilled in poetry and ink landscapes; collaborated closely with Dong on albums.
- Zhang Xueceng (张学曾, 1583–1640): Known for his poetic inscriptions and paintings; part of the Songjiang literati circle.
- Bian Wenyu (卞文瑜, 1576–1655): A calligrapher and painter who specialized in scholarly themes; survived into the Qing era.
- Shao Mi (邵弥, 1592–1642): Excelled in monk-inspired landscapes; blended poetry with visual art.
- Li Liufang (李流芳, 1575–1629): A poet-painter famous for serene ink washes; contributed early works to group albums (e.g., dated 1622).
- Wang Shimin (王时敏, 1592–1680): One of the "Four Wangs" of Qing painting; Dong's student, known for orthodox landscapes.
- Wang Jian (王鉴, 1598–1677): Also one of the "Four Wangs"; specialized in grand mountain scenes and continued Dong's legacy into the Qing.
The Nine Friends symbolized the resilience of literati culture during dynastic change, influencing subsequent generations like the Four Wangs and the Huangshan School. Their collaborative albums, such as Resounding through the Mountains: Landscapes and Calligraphy by 'Hua Zhong Jiu You' (with 108 leaves spanning decades), exemplify shared creativity and have fetched high prices at auctions, underscoring their enduring value. Today, they represent a bridge between Ming innovation and Qing conservatism in Chinese art history.
1616 Autumn by Bernini and Son
2021 SOLD for $ 8.9M by Sotheby's
Around the Popes, the Roman aristocrats rediscover the pleasures of gardens and halls populated with marble statues. The antique objects constitute the basis of these new stagings while bringing an obvious frustration : the theme depends on the hazard of the excavations, the statues are incomplete and require important and expensive restorations.
Pietro Bernini has been living in Rome since 1605. His main clients are the Borghese and Strozzi families. Skillful and inventive, he offers new themes in antique fashion while including the exaggerated movements and multiple angles of view of modern mannerism.
His son Gian Lorenzo is extremely talented but too young to be allowed to receive commissions on his own behalf. From 1615 he develops the baroque sculpture, adding vitality to the mannerism. Patrons will find in this new style the same expressive power as in the Laocoon.
Prince Strozzi prepares his luxurious villa, for which he asks Bernini for many contributions. A great lover of antiques, he commissions in particular two groups of four statues, both on the theme of the Four Seasons. One of them is made up of two antique marbles and two modern additions. The other is entirely the work of Bernini.
The complete series executed by Bernini has not been separated. It is kept in the Aldobrandini collection. From the other group, the two antique statues have disappeared, another has not been identified, and the fourth, Autumn, was sold for $ 8.9M by Sotheby's on January 29, 2021, lot 121, coming from the Hester Diamond collection. Please watch the video shared by the auction house.
The two Autumns have a comparable height, 125 cm for the Diamond marble, but also important differences. The Aldobrandini Autumn, seated, is almost life-size. The Diamond Autumn is standing. He has one hand on a trunk without being leaned back, in a remarkable mastery of balance.
The anatomical details, including the protruding muscles, and the expression of intense happiness of the Diamond satyr, resolutely baroque, prove that the younger Bernini is its principal maker. Whether or not this work came before the Aldobrandini satyr cannot be established. The date of 1616 is proposed. Undoubtedly, the styles of the two sculptors were already diverging. They stop collaborating in 1619 after Gian Lorenzo has reached his majority.
Rubens, the master of baroque painting, also dealt around the same time with the theme of the fruit-bearing satyr.
Pietro Bernini has been living in Rome since 1605. His main clients are the Borghese and Strozzi families. Skillful and inventive, he offers new themes in antique fashion while including the exaggerated movements and multiple angles of view of modern mannerism.
His son Gian Lorenzo is extremely talented but too young to be allowed to receive commissions on his own behalf. From 1615 he develops the baroque sculpture, adding vitality to the mannerism. Patrons will find in this new style the same expressive power as in the Laocoon.
Prince Strozzi prepares his luxurious villa, for which he asks Bernini for many contributions. A great lover of antiques, he commissions in particular two groups of four statues, both on the theme of the Four Seasons. One of them is made up of two antique marbles and two modern additions. The other is entirely the work of Bernini.
The complete series executed by Bernini has not been separated. It is kept in the Aldobrandini collection. From the other group, the two antique statues have disappeared, another has not been identified, and the fourth, Autumn, was sold for $ 8.9M by Sotheby's on January 29, 2021, lot 121, coming from the Hester Diamond collection. Please watch the video shared by the auction house.
The two Autumns have a comparable height, 125 cm for the Diamond marble, but also important differences. The Aldobrandini Autumn, seated, is almost life-size. The Diamond Autumn is standing. He has one hand on a trunk without being leaned back, in a remarkable mastery of balance.
The anatomical details, including the protruding muscles, and the expression of intense happiness of the Diamond satyr, resolutely baroque, prove that the younger Bernini is its principal maker. Whether or not this work came before the Aldobrandini satyr cannot be established. The date of 1616 is proposed. Undoubtedly, the styles of the two sculptors were already diverging. They stop collaborating in 1619 after Gian Lorenzo has reached his majority.
Rubens, the master of baroque painting, also dealt around the same time with the theme of the fruit-bearing satyr.
#AuctionUpdate: Gian Lorenzo and Pietro Bernini’s beautiful and exceedingly rare marble sculpture of Autumn achieves $8.9 million – a new auction record for the artist. pic.twitter.com/uPs4thBXKY
— Sotheby's (@Sothebys) January 29, 2021
1618 Praying Girl by Velazquez
2017 SOLD for € 9.7M by Abalarte
An oil on canvas 58 x 44 cm attributed to Diego Velazquez, undated and unsigned, has just surfaced in Spain. Although it has been inspected by only one expert, it was immediately offered at auction. It was sold for € 9.7M by Abalarte on April 25, 2017, lot 41.
It is a beautiful portrait of a little girl in half-length, her hands joined for prayer, her eyes wide open in a rather sad expression. The chiaroscuro on a black background and the realism of this child's portrait without any moving intent plead for an autograph work by Velazquez.
During the X-Ray inspection several white dots forming a halo were discovered, in conformance with a traditional iconography of Mary's childhood. This painting could have been conceived as an Inmaculada before being transformed by the artist in a modello portrait.
If this is the case it is probably prior to an Inmaculada preserved at the Fundacion Focus Abengoa in Sevilla, dated around 1618 and attributed by some experts to Velazquez and by others to Alonso Cano. Velazquez and his younger colleague Cano were both students in Sevilla to Francisco Pacheco, a painter and theoretician who had met El Greco and specialized in religious art for the local ecclesiastical clientele.
The high skill of Velazquez was precocious : barely 18 years old in 1617, he was received in the corporation of the painters of Sevilla and his first masterpiece mixing genre and still life, Vieja friendo hiejos, was painted in the following year. He was remaining at that time in the entourage of Pacheco whose daughter he married in 1618.
It is a beautiful portrait of a little girl in half-length, her hands joined for prayer, her eyes wide open in a rather sad expression. The chiaroscuro on a black background and the realism of this child's portrait without any moving intent plead for an autograph work by Velazquez.
During the X-Ray inspection several white dots forming a halo were discovered, in conformance with a traditional iconography of Mary's childhood. This painting could have been conceived as an Inmaculada before being transformed by the artist in a modello portrait.
If this is the case it is probably prior to an Inmaculada preserved at the Fundacion Focus Abengoa in Sevilla, dated around 1618 and attributed by some experts to Velazquez and by others to Alonso Cano. Velazquez and his younger colleague Cano were both students in Sevilla to Francisco Pacheco, a painter and theoretician who had met El Greco and specialized in religious art for the local ecclesiastical clientele.
The high skill of Velazquez was precocious : barely 18 years old in 1617, he was received in the corporation of the painters of Sevilla and his first masterpiece mixing genre and still life, Vieja friendo hiejos, was painted in the following year. He was remaining at that time in the entourage of Pacheco whose daughter he married in 1618.
@Abalarte presenta un #Velázquez inédito que se subastará el próximo 25 de abril □https://t.co/27rtaAvXhY vía @ArtMarketAgency pic.twitter.com/voIHKJghfg
— Canalpatrimonio (@canalpatrimonio) April 3, 2017
