Ju Lian, the founder of the Lingnan School, has seen a steady rise in the value of his works in recent years. Recently, a four-panel flower and bird painting featuring insects sold for 1.903 million yuan at an auction, sparking considerable interest. With the upcoming autumn season, experts predict that his works will continue to gain momentum in the market. Collectors have observed certain trends in Ju Lian’s artwork: smaller pieces often command higher prices than larger ones, with fans being the most valuable—especially round fans, while bucket-shaped paintings are relatively less sought after. Works featuring butterflies, dragonflies, and bees tend to be more expensive than standard flower-and-bird paintings.
However, due to Ju Lian's high reputation, many of his works have been imitated over the years. According to Guangzhou Art Piao Xiang, the market is flooded with fakes. This trend began during Ju Lian’s lifetime, as he was so popular that students often helped him by painting on his behalf, later signing and stamping the pieces. Some of these student-made works are so similar to the originals that even experienced collectors find it hard to tell the difference. Zhu Wanzhang, a researcher at the Guangdong Provincial Museum, notes that ghostwriting has long been a common practice in the art world and is generally accepted as part of the broader definition of authenticity, especially when the quality is high and the seals are genuine.
Despite this, some works that were not personally painted or signed by Ju Lian are still considered imitations. One collector noted that the prevalence of imitations reflects the high regard for Ju Lian’s work throughout history. However, the supply of his original pieces is limited, and they haven’t always attracted much attention. As a result, their prices were relatively low in the past. According to Zhu Wanzhang, there are over a thousand known works by Ju Lian globally, with about 80% held in museums and private collections in Guangdong and Hong Kong, while only a small portion is available on the open market.
Xiang Xiang also points out that the previous lack of high prices was partly due to the overall quality of the works. Many of Ju Lian’s pieces were small-scale sketches or fans, which were not taken seriously until recently. These items had long been overlooked, and their owners didn’t place much value on them. Large-scale works, on the other hand, were more highly regarded and better preserved.
Some argue that the limited subject matter of Ju Lian’s paintings contributed to lower prices, but Xiang Xiang disagrees. He believes that although Ju Lian may not have pioneered certain techniques like watercolor or powder painting, he applied them skillfully and systematically in his work. His "Small Birds and Flowers" series, for example, captures a vivid sense of life.
While landscape paintings by Ju Lian are rare, the value of his flower-and-bird works has risen significantly in recent years. A few years ago, some pieces were available for just a few thousand yuan, but now, the price per square foot typically ranges from 10,000 to 30,000 yuan. Portrait paintings are even rarer and more expensive, ranging from 30,000 to 50,000 yuan per square foot. Landscape works, however, remain extremely scarce.
Zhu Wanzhang suggests that the recent price increase is due to several factors: more high-quality works coming onto the market, the general rise in value of classical Chinese paintings, and growing academic interest in the “two residences†(a term referring to Ju Lian’s artistic legacy). Despite this, he believes the market still underestimates the true value of Ju Lian’s works. While Gao Jianfu is often mentioned alongside him as a key figure of the Lingnan School, Ju Lian’s pieces are still priced well below those of his contemporaries.
Collectors believe that with increasing recognition, there is still significant room for growth in the value of Ju Lian’s works. In particular, since 2002, the northern market has started to pay more attention to his paintings, and by 2008, his works began appearing in greater numbers in northern regions. This shift signals a promising future for his art in the broader market.
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