Why Pu Jingqiu matters
Pu Jingqiu is a twentieth-century Chinese painter of floral and butterfly subjects whose work has been shown at the Staatliche Museen zu Berlin and has circulated modestly through auction houses including Bonhams and LiveAuctioneers, yet almost nothing else about her life is documented in public sources. She is best understood, for now, as a case study in how thinly some historically active painters are recorded even when a work sits inside a major museum and reputable auction houses. Collectors researching her should expect a sparse record rather than a settled biography.
- Nationality
- Chinese
- Media
- Ink and color on paper, Chinese painting
- Education
- Not documented in reviewed sources.
- Signature motifs
- Floral subjects, Butterflies
By the numbers
- Staatliche Museen zu BerlinMuseum collectionSingle work shown in 'The Painters of the Family Pu'
- 3 lots locatedDocumented auction appearancesBonhams, LiveAuctioneers, MutualArt; no realized prices found in sources reviewed
- Not documentedLife datesMuseum record describes her only as active in the 20th century
Biography
Pu Jingqiu painted under the art name Songhao. The Staatliche Museen zu Berlin included a single work by her, described as "the female artist Pu Jingqiu (Songhao, 20th c.)," in its exhibition The Painters of the Family Pu, an exhibition centered on painters connected to the former Qing imperial clan, most prominently Pu Ru. The museum's own text states plainly that her affiliation to that family "has not been determined so far," so no lineage claim should be made on her behalf.
No birth date, death date, birthplace, or education record for Pu Jingqiu could be located across museum, auction, and art-press sources reviewed for this profile. As of 2026-07-10, her living or deceased status cannot be verified from any documented source. She is identified in the sources reviewed only as active in the twentieth century, working in ink and color on paper, with floral and butterfly subject matter.
Critical reception
No exhibition reviews, catalog essays, or named critical commentary specifically about Pu Jingqiu were located in major art press. The only substantive institutional statement identified is the Staatliche Museen zu Berlin's brief exhibition note, which is descriptive rather than evaluative.
Market
Works attributed to Pu Jingqiu have appeared at auction on at least three occasions in the sources reviewed: a painting titled Butterflies offered by Bonhams, a floral painting listed through LiveAuctioneers, and a work titled A painting of two cats and a butterfly in a garden, jointly attributed to Cao Kejia and Pu Jingqiu, listed on MutualArt as part of an auction held 16 to 19 January 2026. None of these listings show a realized price, and most do not show a sale house or location, in the sources available, so no confirmed auction record, high or otherwise, can be reported for this artist. This points to a market with very limited public price transparency rather than to a market that does not exist at all.
Top auction results
| Work | Price | Sale |
|---|---|---|
| Butterflies | Bonhams | |
| A Chinese Floral Painting | Not specified in source | |
| A painting of two cats and a butterfly in a garden (joint attribution with Cao Kejia) | Not specified in source, 2026-01-16 to 2026-01-19 |
Selected exhibitions
| Years | Exhibition | Venues |
|---|---|---|
| Not documented | The Painters of the Family Pu | Staatliche Museen zu Berlin, Museum fur Asiatische Kunst |
Museum collections
- Staatliche Museen zu Berlin, Museum fur Asiatische Kunst (one work shown in 'The Painters of the Family Pu')
Authentication and provenance
No catalogue raisonne.
No catalogue raisonne has been documented for Pu Jingqiu, and no artist estate or foundation could be identified in the sources reviewed. Authentication of any work would rely on auction-house cataloguing, seals and inscriptions, and museum records rather than a published catalogue.
Primary reference: https://www.smb.museum/en/exhibitions/detail/the-painters-of-the-family-pu/
What collectors should know
Attribution risk is the central issue here. The surname Pu is shared by several distinct twentieth-century Chinese painters, most notably Pu Ru, and Pu Jingqiu's own relationship to that family circle is explicitly undetermined even by the museum that has shown her work. There is no catalogue raisonne and no identified estate or foundation to consult. Collectors considering a work attributed to Pu Jingqiu should verify seals, inscriptions, and provenance directly with the offering auction house's specialists, and should treat any claim about her market or biography with caution given how little of either is independently documented.
Further reading and resources
Data current as of 2026-07-10.
