Cuppar Auction

28/07/2025

On the evening of July 25th, the CUPPAR 5th Anniversary Zhejiang South & North 2025 Spring Auction concluded successfully in Hangzhou.
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This season’s sale featured two carefully curated sessions: Chinese Classic Paintings and Made Oriental: Hangzhou. Together, they spanned ancient, modern, and contemporary masterpieces, unfolding a richly layered aesthetic landscape shaped by the dialogue between southern and northern cultural lineages.
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The auction room saw spirited bidding throughout. Major works by Jin Nong, Zhang Daqian, Qi Baishi, Xu Beihong, Fu Baoshi, Pan Tianshou, and Lu Yanshao performed steadily, reflecting continued market confidence in the enduring value of classical and modern Chinese art.
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Notably, MadeOriental Art Center, situated along the Qiantang River, was formally opened to the public during this auction. As a new cultural landmark in Hangzhou, the space will launch a series of curated exhibitions and public programs, expanding possibilities for artistic engagement and public dialogue.
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The consignment for our Fifth Anniversary Autumn Auction is now officially open. We deeply appreciate our community of collectors and look forward to sharing more meaningful moments in art with all of you. Wishing you all a great summer.

28/07/2025

25/07/2025

We are pleased to announce that the CUPPAR 5th Anniversary Zhejiang South-North 2025 Spring Auction officially opens today in Hangzhou.

The auctions will take place as follows:
Chinese Classic Paintings (1) | July 25, 10:00 AM
Made Oriental: Hangzhou | July 25, 1:00 PM
Chinese Classic Paintings (I1) | July 25, 2:00 PM
📍Sheraton Grand Hangzhou Binjiang Hotel

Spanning classical, modern, and regional aesthetics, this season’s sales offer a rich perspective on the legacy and evolution of Chinese ink traditions. We look forward to welcoming you on site!

24/07/2025

Dear Collectors and Friends,
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We cordially invite you to join us in Hangzhou to witness a milestone occasion: CUPPAR 5th Anniversary Zhejiang South-North
2025 Spring Auction. The Spring Auction Preview will be held from July 23 to 25 at MadeOriental Art Centre and the Sheraton Grand Hangzhou Binjiang Hotel.
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The preview will feature highlights from our “Chinese Classic Paintings” sale, along with the curated thematic session “Made Oriental: Hangzhou.”Together, these exhibitions trace artistic lineages from Northern to Southern China and present the diverse aesthetics and evolving expressions of Chinese painting from antiquity to the modern era.

03/07/2025

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Painted in 1981, when Zhang Daqian was eighty-three and residing at the Moyejingshe in Taiwan, 𝘓𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘴𝘤𝘢𝘱𝘦 stands as a paradigmatic large-scale work from the period in which his splash ink and color technique attained consummate maturity.
In this composition, lofty banks and level groves give way to a boundless autumn river, across whose mist-laden expanse drifts a solitary boat. The brushwork, at once vigorous and restrained, evokes the unbridled spirit of Wang Qia’s splashed-ink landscapes from the Tang Dynasty, while also integrating a luminous sensibility to light and color indebted to Western Impressionism. The result is a quintessential example of Zhang’s late approach, conjuring a semi-abstract realm imbued with quietude and depth.
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This work emerges as a compelling testament to Zhang Daqian’s late efforts to reimagine and extend the possibilities of the genre of Chinese landscape painting. Here, the imagery of mountains and streams is liberated from inherited formulas, animated instead by a subtle breath-like rhythm and a chromatic delicacy that together breathe new life into landscape painting at a pivotal juncture in its evolution.
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Further amplifying its significance is the notable market reception of analogous works from this perio, such as 𝘓𝘢𝘯𝘴𝘤𝘢𝘱𝘦, which commanded over CNY 19.3 million at auction in Hong Kong in 2010, underscoring the dual resonance of this painting, both as a landmark within Zhang’s artistic legacy and as a work of enduring appeal.
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LOT 336
𝐙𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐠 𝐃𝐚𝐪𝐢𝐚𝐧 (1899-1983) Landscape
mounted and framed, ink and colour on paper
1981 | 180 × 75 cm

29/06/2025

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Qi Baishi’s 𝘓𝘰𝘵𝘶𝘴 is a heartfelt testament to the profound bond between Qi and his disciple Zhang Wanli. The conjoined lotus blossoms and paired Chinese perch fish symbolize blessings for him and his newly wedded wife. The inscription reveals Qi’s intent to convey personal affection through his art, offering sincere congratulations to his disciple Zhang Wanli and his wife.
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The composition strikes a refined balance between simplicity and intricacy; the brushwork flows freely yet remains exquisitely controlled. Through ink and color, the artist conjures a quiet summer pond, one that is serene, delicate, and alive with poetic mood.
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Beyond its artistic merit, this painting was exhibited in the 2014 Taipei retrospective: The Transformation of Imagination Brings Unexpected Acquisition, and featured on pages 34–35 of the accompanying catalogue. Its provenance can be traced back to the 2004 Christie’s Hong Kong Autumn Sale, underscoring its well-documented history of collection and transmission.
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As a rare grand composition that brings together two of Qi’s most cherished auspicious motifs, namely the double lotus and the perch, this work exemplifies the pinnacle of his iconic style. More importantly, it reflects a master’s tender hopes for the life journey of his devoted student, thereby standing as an enduring example of Qi’s painterly finesse merging with emotional resonance.
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LOT 346
𝐐𝐢 𝐁𝐚𝐢𝐬𝐡𝐢 (1863-1957) Lotus
mounted and framed, ink and colour on paper
103.5 × 41.5 cm

30/05/2025

CUPPAR 5th Anniversary Spring Auction | Evening Recap

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On May 24, CUPPAR’s 5th Anniversary Spring Auction opened with its first phase: the Modern and Contemporary Art Evening Sale, successfully held at the Bvlgari Hotel Beijing.

Leading the evening, Chang Shuhong’s museum-caliber Grandma achieved the highest price at RMB 5.175 million. Wei Tianlin’s late-period gem Peony Loquat followed with RMB 4.37 million, while Trees by Kang Haitao—a key work in his signature “nightscape painting” series—set a new auction record at RMB 3.565 million.

As the opening chapter of our 5th anniversary sales, CUPPAR presented a series of curatorial units:

—20th-century masters including Chang Shuhong, Lin Fengmian, Wu Guanzhong, Wei Tianlin, Zhou Bichu, Guan Liang, and Ting Yinyung showed steady market performance.

— Contemporary classics from Zhang Enli, He Duoling, and Yu Youhan drew sustained attention.

— Post-70s and 80s artists such as Wang Guangle, Huang Yuxing, Qiu Xiaofei, Liang Yuanwei, Ni Youyu, and Huang Yishan anchored the market’s core momentum.

In The Wave unit, emerging voices made their mark:

— Yan Bingqing’s Be Late sold for RMB 414,000
— Bian Shaozhi’s As the Myriads of Changes Created II reached RMB 517,500, setting a new personal auction record.

These results highlight the strong signatures and rising potential of the new generation.

📍Coming this July: CUPPAR’s second-phase Spring Auction will take place in Hangzhou, co-hosted with Zhejiang Nanbei. Focused on Classical Chinese Painting, Calligraphy, and Rare Books, consignments are now open.