An ink painting of birds by 12th-century Emperor Huizong was sold for 23 million yuan (US$2.77 million) at a Beijing auction yesterday.

The emperor, named Zhao Ji, ruled from 1101 to 1125 during the Northern Song Dynasty (960-1127).

After the sale at the city's Kunlun Hotel, Kou Qin - vice-president of the auction firm China Guardian - said: "That marks the highest price a single Chinese painting has ever achieved on the local market.

"If the 10 percent commission we charge the buyer is taken into account, the total cost of the painting will be 25.3 million yuan (US$3.05 million)," Kou told China Daily.

Kou refused to reveal the buyer's identity. But there are signs that the painting - entitled "Portraits of Precious Birds" - might have been bought by a Chinese museum or company.

After more than 50 rounds of breathtaking bids, the painting's price rocketed from the auction firm's estimate of 7.8 million yuan (US$942,000).

A young Chinese man in his 20s, who was probably a representative of the real buyer, raised the final bid and immediately left the auction room escorted by Kou and other auction firm employees.

This was the first time such a valuable work by the famous emperor artist had ever appeared in an art auction, said experts.

Zhao Ji (1082-1135) was a controversial statesman and lost his dynasty to invaders. However, he was well known as an excellent painter and calligrapher.

The handscroll, 27.5 centimetres high and 521.5 centimetres long, is one of fewer than 20 paintings by Huizong that have survived to this day.

Prior to yesterday's auction, the painting was in the collection of an anonymous Japanese collector, who entrusted China Guardian to sell the work.

Kou said: "There is a tendency whereby precious Chinese artworks stored by overseas collectors have begun to return to the Chinese market in recent years. That is partly due to the political stability, economic prosperity and growing interest in art collecting in China," he noted.

Xu Chen, a researcher from the China Academy of Arts in Beijing, pointed out that the China Guardian sale also indicated that Chinese artworks have been enjoying increasing popularity and respect in the world art market as Chinese art and culture become better understood.

Other experts argued that the overall price levels achieved by Chinese artworks are still low compared with those of Western artworks.

Collector Liu Yong said: "Such a situation is unfair considering the value of Chinese art. I am confident the prices of Chinese artworks - especially ancient ink painting and porcelain - will continue to rise."

(China Daily April 24, 2002)