Huo Sining had seen a printed version of the painting Xin Xie Zhi Ping, in an old painting appreciation book Zhou Shitao had given her, probably a reproduction taken from the Cleveland Museum of Art. The scroll depicted twelve half-length, front-facing portraits of imperial consorts, all wearing winter ceremonial caps and winter dragon robes, extremely formal and orderly in style—completely different from the painting before her eyes.
With the Heavenly Eye to aid her, Huo Sining could at least be sure that this painting was unquestionably an authentic work by Lang Shining. But something this casual and lifelike could never have been accepted by the imperial household at the time. At the very least, Huo Sining had never seen any mention of such a work in any historical records.
Lang Shining's works enjoy a very high reputation internationally. Although some pieces fetch wildly fluctuating prices on the market, overall their room for appreciation is immense.
