Sotheby’s has a long-standing history as the leading auction house for Chinese works of art. From establishing the London Chinese Works of Art department in 1922, conducting our inaugural Chinese Art auction in 1964 and becoming the first auction house to establish a presence in Hong Kong in 1973, to engaging over 500 new clients in this category in recent years, Sotheby's dedication to the field has propelled the market to new heights, producing exceptional outcomes for our consignors. In 2026 so far, we have already reached over $105 million USD in sales of Chinese art globally for our consignors.

This May in Hong Kong, the Chinese art sales realized a total of $86 million USD across five sales. Leading the sale series was Lang Shining’s (Giuseppe Castiglione, 1688–1766), Gathering of Two Auspicious Signs, 1723, which realized $23 million USD, setting a new record as the most expensive work sold by the artist. Other highlights include a Qianlong mark and period imperial falangcai 'geese' teapot and cover, realizing $4.8 million USD; an exceptional and large Qianlong white jade teapot and cover, achieving $2.7 million USD; and a superb and extremely rare sancai zodiac horse figure from the Tang dynasty, realizing $2.1 million USD.

In New York, the Chinese art sales this March achieved $18.9 million USD in aggregate sales, exceeding the pre-sale low estimate by 160%. Highlights include a rare Xuande mark and period blue-and-white jar which realized $4.1 million USD; an exceedingly rare and important seventeenth-century ‘huanghuali’ folding horseshoe-back armchair (jiaoyi) which realized $2 million USD; and an exceptional ‘Guan’ lobed dish from the Southern Song dynasty which realized $1.9 million USD. The Chinese Art auction further distinguished itself by achieving its second-highest March season total in the past five years and a record average lot value exceeding $100,000 USD over the same period.

Season after season, we are honored to be entrusted with the greatest masterworks and collections of Chines art. The strong results from 2026 are testament to continuing market strength in this area, which we are confident will continue into next year.

To learn about the value of your Chinese art, simply submit images and information through our easy-to-use online estimate form. Our global team of specialists will review your submission and issue preliminary estimates for items that can be included in our sales.