Hong Kong's two major auction houses, Sotheby's and Christie's, have been auctioning Ren Bonian's paintings every year since 1986. In the late 1980s, Peninsula Auction House and Union Antiques Auction Company also joined the auction ranks, but there were fewer auctions.
It can be said that Ren Bonian's paintings will increase in value every year. As early as May 1986, the first "Album of Figures" auctioned by Sotheby's reached a high price of 160,000 Hong Kong dollars, ranking at the highest level. It has been lowered since then.
But keep it at HK$50,000-100,000.
There was another big breakthrough in 1988, reaching more than 700,000 Hong Kong dollars, but the price of small vertical scrolls was lower than that of albums.
Among the two larger vertical scrolls auctioned in 1990, one was priced at HK$380,000 and the other at HK$240,000, which was considered higher.
In 1991, there was another significant price increase. A vertical scroll of "Zhong Kui" cost HK$930,000, which was the highest price for Ren Bonian's works at that time.
Now, although the prices of Ren Bonian's paintings have risen a lot, in 2012, a painting of "Hua Zhu Sanduo" painted by Ren Bonian was sold for 167 million yuan, thus creating a billion-dollar market for Shanghai-style calligraphy and painting.
Yuan Xianhe.
However, the price of Ren Bonian's paintings of ladies is not high, at least not to the level of hundreds of millions. Therefore, Han Kongque was startled when he saw that this was a painting by Ren Bonian, because he did not expect that it was painted by Ren Bonian.
The pictures of ladies are actually so beautifully drawn.
This painting of a lady began to use the ancient methods of the Tang and Song Dynasties, using mostly thin iron lines and flying clouds and flowing water. The skirt pattern also uses the Dunhuang Tang Dynasty decorative techniques, with bright colors and delicate brushwork.
This painting style of thick ink and heavy colors washes away the weakness of figure paintings in the late Qing Dynasty and the early Republic of China. It shows a new charm and style. Such paintings are completely comparable to modern masters such as Qi Baishi, Xu Beihong, Zhang Daqian, etc. It can be said that they are already masters.
work.
Although this painting is considered a high-quality painting, compared to Zhang Daqian's paintings of ladies, the price of Ren Bonian's paintings of ladies is far lower. The price of Ren Bonian's paintings of ladies only fluctuates between one million and three million.
Generally no more than three million.
"The fourteen pictures are all pictures of ladies by Ren Bonian?" Han Peacock asked with a frown.
Chen Qian took the scroll from Han Kongque and began to observe his expression, from the initial message to the frown now. Chen Qian was frightened by what he saw. Although he was sure that these were genuine, he was also afraid of an accident.
"The fourteen pictures are all pictures of ladies by Ren Bonian. Does Mr. Han think there is a problem?" Chen Qian pretended to be calm and said.
Han Kongque couldn't figure it out, but he was sure that there was something wrong with the painting he was looking at. But he couldn't figure out what the problem was for the moment.
"Can I see other pictures of ladies?" Han Peacock asked.
"Why don't we talk about the price now?" Chen Qian said.
Han Kongque frowned again, but he quickly said: "Yes, if all the pictures of ladies are of this standard. Boss Chen can directly offer the price. If the price is right, I will take them all."
"Mr. Han is exactly the same as the rumors say. He is unrivaled. Don't worry, all the paintings are the same. You have also seen this one. Among the paintings by famous artists in the late Qing Dynasty, his highest painting sold for nearly 200 million yuan, so
The price of these pictures of ladies will certainly not be low," Chen Qian said.
"Ren Bonian's paintings of ladies are not top-notch. If they are portraits of Zhong Kui and other figures, the price will be high. He is good at painting portraits, but as for the paintings of ladies, there are no very good paintings handed down to the world." Han Peacock belittled Ren Bonian.
.
Of course, Chen Qian knew very well why Han Kongque said this, so he said: "A famous artist is a famous artist. As long as Mr. Han recognizes that this is Ren Bonian's work, it will be fine. Anyway, the market price of his paintings is there, and I can't ask for high prices."
"
Han Kongque said: "As long as everyone is of this level, it's fine. You can bid directly."
"Five million for a painting by Ren Bonian, it's worth that price," Chen Qian said.
After he finished speaking, Han Kongque clearly felt that the four young people behind him were breathing rapidly. It seemed that they were a little unacceptable to the price!
Han Kongque said with a smile: "If it's a painting of a lady by Tang Bohu, I'd have no problem with five million. But this is Ren Bonian's. If I'm not mistaken, there seems to be something wrong with the style. If you care carefully, there seems to be something wrong with the framing.
Questions, I think, you have been studying these paintings for a long time, so I shouldn’t need to say more about these questions."
After Han Kongque finished speaking, Chen Qian's expression immediately changed: "Mr. Han is indeed the most outstanding young appraiser. He is really powerful. Although my painting has some minor flaws, the quality of the painting is there! Such a lady
Ordinary people will never be able to draw a picture, so even if it has the flaws you mentioned, it doesn't mean anything."
Han Kongque said: "Of course I know this. If the mounting is not good, it can be re-mounted. As long as you work hard, these small flaws can be corrected. The main thing is the price, five million for a pair. There is no sincerity in this price! I don't
You should also know that if this thing is put up for auction, it may not fetch a million."
"Mr. Han, you are not sincere when you say this. Since you don't agree with my price, I wonder how much you can offer?" Chen Qian asked.
Han Kongque said: "At most five hundred thousand. Although this kind of flawed picture of a lady belongs to Ren Bonian, its market value is not high."
Although there are too many things that are worthless, it depends on what they are. For example, those famous painters who have died. No matter how many paintings they have, they are not enough for modern people to collect crazily. For example, Qi Baishi, Zhang Daqian, etc., they have many paintings, but
The price is still so high.
Therefore, as long as the goods are good, the price will never be lowered, but Han Kongque is now using Ren Bonian's reputation to lower the value of this painting.
Because Han Kongque had never thought that Ren Bonian's pictures of ladies could actually be of a top master level.
Therefore, the quality of the paintings now is more valuable than the name Ren Bonian. Of course, Han Kongque would not tell Chen Qian this.
It was because the quality of the painting was so good that Han Kongque felt a little uneasy.
But looking at this picture of a lady wearing a hairpin, it doesn’t look like there’s something fishy about it. Such a work would only be profitable unless it was turned into a revealing painting.
This is an unveiling of a painting, not an unmounted one. It is an authentic painting by a master. If it is carefully uncovered and divided into two layers, it can be resold at a high price, and one painting becomes two paintings.
No matter how Han Peacock looked at the current painting of the lady, he could not find anything out of the ordinary. If it were really revealed, the painting of the lady would not be so clear, so no matter how Han Peacock looked at it, this painting was a top-notch work.
"Mr. Han is not real! Ren Bonian's figure paintings could have sold for millions twenty or thirty years ago. Now let alone ten times, five times is still no problem." Chen Qian said.
Han Kongque said with a smile: "If you say that, it is really the case, but you are talking about Zhong Kui painted by Ren Bonian. Also, the ones with higher prices are often large vertical scrolls. These should be considered small vertical scrolls, right?"
"Mr. Han told us the real price. We came here with sincerity. Otherwise, we wouldn't be able to bring all the fourteen paintings. If we buy them separately, we can sell them for a lot more money." Chen Qian said.
Han Kongque shook his head and said, "It's because I was able to receive fourteen pairs at once that I paid five hundred thousand. If it were a single pair, I would pay up to three hundred thousand.
If this kind of portrait of a lady appears alone, the price of 500,000 yuan is not low. In other words, it must appear in a set to make its price higher.
Not all things are cheaper when there are more of them, such as pairs of vases, sets of furniture and tea bowls, these things are more valuable when they are in sets."
What Han Kongque said was specious, but Chen Qian just listened to it. The two of them were bickering, testing each other's inner values in dealing with each other.
"Fifty thousand is too little. Do you think we can receive such a famous painting at a low price?" Chen Qian said.
Han Kongque didn't believe how much he could pay for these paintings. Chen Qian must have encountered something good, otherwise he wouldn't have received fourteen paintings and six spring vases at once.
Of course, if you add in the fact that Han Peacock obtained the Han family tree and Zhang Zhi's medical strategy in the Eastern Han Dynasty, the problem will be even more clear.
Thinking of this, Han Kongque's heart moved. Could it be that these pictures of ladies also come from the same place?
Thinking of the Han family's family tree and the Shen family's big house, Han Peacock now knows that the Shen family's big house turned out to be the location of the Han family village. The Shen family's ancestral hall they demolished turned out to be the Han family's ancestral hall, otherwise it would not be possible to worship the Han family in it.
genealogy.
If it is really from the Han ancestral hall, then these pictures of ladies must have come from something illegitimate. You must know that with the arrest of the Hou brothers, people from the Shen family were also arrested. Could it be that these pictures of ladies slipped through the net?
Although he had guessed the origin of some of these pictures of ladies, Han Kongque was not so selfless as to give these things away. It was his fate that he met them.
Han Kongque said: "If Boss Chen can provide the inheritance records of these paintings, let alone 500,000 yuan, I can pay a price of 1 million to accept these paintings of ladies. If... I want to come to Boss Chen, too
If you know the rules in the industry, the price of items of unknown origin will naturally be greatly discounted."
"Of course these things have detailed inheritance, just like the Han family tree I sold you before, that is the best proof." Chen Qian's expression finally changed a little, although it was very slight, but in the face of deliberately testing him
Han Peacock, he still can't hide it.
Han Kongque said: "This puts me at ease. You also know that I am going to build a private museum. It is very troublesome to put some things of unknown origin on display in the museum. In this way, there will be a conflict between us."
There is no obstacle, just look at the thing! As long as the thing is right, transfer the money immediately."
Han Peacock took out the transfer agreement prepared in advance from his bag and showed it to Chen Qian. Han Peacock always has this kind of agreement in hand. Anyway, there are only a few terms. As long as both parties sign, the seller provides proof of the lady's picture.
Ancillary agreement from the source, so the transaction is considered successful.
"I don't have a pen with me. We won't sign this agreement. Why should we make it so formal? It's just like selling things on the street. When did we sign this thing?" Chen Qian pushed the agreement aside at once.
At this time, a young man behind him also said: "We are all rough people, who goes out with a pen every day for nothing? I think we should have a good discussion about the price!"
Hearing what they said, Han Kongque breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed that it was really what he thought.
Although this will be a bit troublesome, if each of the fourteen paintings can be reduced to less than one million, it will be a gap of tens of millions.
"I didn't bring a pen either. We are old acquaintances. It's okay not to sign an agreement, but the price has to be as I said. Five hundred thousand, this price is already very high.
You know, some things are sold because of their heritage. Especially calligraphy and painting. If there is a collection seal of inheritance and orderliness on the calligraphy and painting, it may not be a famous painting. Just because there are seals of some famous people on it, it can make this painting
The value of paintings doubles.
You see, although your painting of a lady is fine in fine brushwork, it doesn't have a collection seal, so the price must be lower." Han Peacock gave it to Chen Qian in an obedient manner.
After hearing what Han Kongque said, Chen Qian naturally felt that it was very reasonable. The most important thing was that Han Kongque did not bother with the origin of these paintings. So he said: "Five million is too low. I will give in to three million. I think
This price should be regarded as the market price. If you receive it at this price, Mr. Han will definitely not suffer a loss."
"Boss Chen should know his stuff. Even Tang Bohu's small vertical scroll now can't exceed one million per square foot. If I charge one million per square foot, your picture of a lady will not exceed two million. Now it's three million to become a monk."
"That price is even more expensive than Tang Bohu's. I believe that not only I don't agree with this price, but no matter who I call, they won't agree with it." Han Kongque shook his head and said.
When Chen Qian heard this, he realized that this was indeed the case. He had also searched a lot of information recently, and he knew a lot about the prices of famous paintings. There really were no paintings by Tang Bohu that exceeded one million square feet on the market.
Of course, Chen Qian is just a hawker, so his vision is not that broad. In fact, this is Han Peacock secretly changing the concept. There is no comparison between high-quality works and ordinary works.
But Chen Qian didn't have that kind of vision, and he didn't have much confidence in this picture of Ren Bonian's lady. In addition, the strangeness of the money left only hurt his self-confidence. In this way, he naturally didn't
You will think that this is such a masterpiece.
Since it is not a high-quality product, it cannot be sold at a sky-high price, so Chen Qian thought for a while before saying: "One million pairs, if it is lower than that, we will not sell it. I want to send these to the auction house for operation. What?
It can also fetch a high price.”
"Is this painting two square feet? One million copies, and each square foot costs more than half a million yuan. This price is still too high." Han Peacock still shook his head.
When Chen Qian heard what Han Kongque said, he relaxed: "This painting is less than two square feet, but there are some that are more than four square feet, so the average price of one million is not high."
"If this is the case, the price is okay, but Boss Chen also said that this is the market price. Since it is the market price, I will not make any profit after receiving it. Doing business must be a win-win situation! Now I can't make money, Boss Chen let me
Am I working in vain?" Han Kongque pressed forward step by step, and now Chen Qian was a little confused.
After Han Kongque suspected that these things came from evil sources, he should have been eager to take action.
Sure enough, Chen Qian gritted his teeth and said: "A total of thirteen million, which has left you with enough profit. If Mr. Han is still not satisfied, we can only find another buyer."
Han Kongque looked at Chen Qian's expression and found that he was very serious. Maybe he suffered a big loss at the hands of Han Kongque last time, so he was well prepared this time. The price of one million should be his psychological price.
It is not easy to break through this point. Now that he can give away one million, he has really left enough profit for Han Kongque.
Han Kongque was also afraid of offending Chen Qian and the others, so it was good to be able to buy it at this price: "Let's see the goods! As long as the item is right, pay immediately."
"Mr. Han is very happy. It seems that the legends in the antique industry are not all groundless. Mr. Han is really prosperous. He has sold tens of millions of dollars in sales without blinking an eye. How can a big boss like you argue with hawkers like us?"
, it’s really unkind.”
Seeing that the business deal was concluded, Chen Qian's stern face finally turned into a smile, and he actually started joking with Han Kongque.
Han Kongque said with a smile: "Don't we in the industry all want to save face? When buying something, if the price is too high, it's not a mistake, it's an insult. If you tell it, you will be embarrassed."
"Congratulations to Mr. Han for successfully picking up the leak again." Chen Qian said with a smile.
Han Peacock also laughed: "There are just a lot of things this time. If there are less things, I really don't think I have missed something. Boss Chen is still awesome. You picked up a big leak this time, right?"
Once you make this business, you can make a fortune. As the saying goes, if you don't open for three years, you will survive for three years if you open. This saying is absolutely true when applied to Boss Chen!"
Han Kongque and Chen Qing complimented each other, but the business did not fall behind.
Han Kongque put away the previous picture of ladies and opened another one. This picture shows two ladies, one facing each other, with elegant postures. The hostess seems to be giving instructions to the maid, but she also seems to be speechless.
The expressions are vivid and natural, and the colors are elegant.
Although the painting style is a bit simpler, its skill is not inferior to the first one. This is another extremely rare masterpiece. The most important thing is that this painting is larger than the one just now. In this way,
Chen Qian really didn’t raise the price too high.
Fourteen pictures of ladies, each one was different. Especially when Han Kongque saw a maid wearing a cheongsam, his heart suddenly moved. Then, he was attracted by the lady. When he wanted to seize the
When I was inspired, I couldn't remember it.
He seemed to have thought of something just now, and that thought was very real, but he suddenly forgot it. This kind of flash of inspiration is really difficult to grasp.
In desperation, Han Kongque could only continue to look at the painting. Maybe after a few more glances, he would be able to remember what he had just thought of.
This painting is even more exciting, with just a few strokes, the shyness of a woman wearing a modern cheongsam is vividly reflected.
The figure of the lady in this picture is delicate and delicate, exuding an aura of summer fatigue. The charming figure of the woman in the picture is intertwined with curves and complements each other, forming a novel and unique pattern. It is intended to depict the lady waving her fan lightly and expressing her affectionate attitude.
.(To be continued..)
ps: Thanks to Hanzhu Love, Cola Milk Instant Noodles and other brothers for their rewards, thanks to Gan Yuxin, Chuanxi, lion, Mili Mulu, Guoyan 8 Fuyun, Jiajia 3, No Old Cat in the Mountain, Chen**, secret sauce