The "Wood and Rock," a work by 11th century Song dynasty master Su Shi, is leading Christie's Hong Kong Autumn Sale 2018 which happens on Nov. 26. The rare 1,000-year-old Chinese scroll is expected to fetch at about $60 million during the auction on Monday.
The ink-on-paper scroll, which featured withered tree branches standing alongside a peculiarly-shaped rock, is the best Chinese painting any art collector could ever own, according to Jonathan Stone, co-chairman of Christie's Asian Art department. Stone compared the rare Chinese scroll to that of Leonardo Da Vinci's "Salvator Mundi" with regard to market significance in the art world.
Stone said that Su Shi could as well be the first "renaissance man" had it for the term and concept first introduced in Western arts several centuries later. For Stone, Leonardo is the Western version of Su Shi rather than the Chinese artist being the Asian version of Leonardo.
Just like the Italian artist, Su Shi had also worn several other hats. He was also known in China as a scholar, writer, poet, calligrapher, and statesman. He was unparalleled among his Song counterparts.
The "Wood and Rock" is extremely rare that qualified bidders were required to pay a deposit of $20 million. The art piece is currently owned by a Japanese family who has been keeping it since 1937.
One element that added to its rarity is that the peculiarly-shaped rock resembled giant creatures and dragons that appear and disappear from stormy seas.
The most expensive Asian art bought in the auction was a handscroll which was sold in Beijing in 2010 by the Poly International Auction Co. The piece was sold for $64 million with buyer's premium already included to the hammer price. The $60 million price tag on the "Wood and Rock" put by Christie's is exclusive of the hammer price.
Christie's is currently one of the world's leading art businesses. The auction house amassed a total of $4.04 billion just within the first half of 2018. The British auction house has a presence in 46 countries and has salesrooms in London, New York, Paris, Geneva, Milan, Amsterdam, Dubai, Zurich, Hong Kong, and Shanghai.
In March 2017, Christie's successfully sold Chinese collection amounting to $263 million.
Christie's is confident that the "Wood and Rock" is set to become one of the most important works ever auctioned in world history.
The Nov. 26 auction is being held at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Center, Number 1 Expo Drive, Wanchai in Hong Kong.
