Yao Yuqin

The most specific biographical detail available for Yao Yuqin comes from a single auction listing, which attributes a Chinese painting of orchids and magnolia to "Yao Yuqin (1867 to 1961)," identifying the work by its inscription, signature, and two seals. The same life span, 1867 to 1961, also appears independently on MutualArt's artist page, so the dates have some cross-database corroboration. A separate market database groups this artist's auction record together with an artist named Yuanji Zhang under the heading "Yuqin Yao and Yuanji Zhang," and classifies the pairing as active in the 19th to 20th century, which is broadly consistent with the 1867 to 1961 span but does not independently confirm it.

No museum record, published catalogue, or dated obituary was located to corroborate the exact birth and death years, and no day or month dates, place of birth, place of death, education, teachers, or institutional affiliations are documented in the sources reviewed. Given the agreement between two market databases on the same dates, it is reasonable to treat Yao Yuqin as deceased, with a life span of approximately 1867 to 1961, but this should still be read as moderate rather than confirmed certainty, since neither source is a museum or scholarly authority. The name also appears in the reversed order "Yuqin Yao" in market databases; both forms refer to the same auction-market artist.

No exhibition reviews, catalogue essays, or named-critic commentary on Yao Yuqin were located in the sources consulted for this profile. The record consists of auction-database listings rather than art criticism, so no verifiable critical assessment of the artist's work or standing can be presented here.

The highest documented auction price for Yao Yuqin is USD 43,750, for a work on paper, per MutualArt. The work's title, the auction house, the sale city, and the exact sale date for that result could not be confirmed from the sources available. Other recorded lots for this artist have traded at far more modest levels, including estimates of USD 100 to 200 at Oakridge Auction Gallery in 2025 and 2026, and an earlier estimate of USD 8,000 to 10,000 for a 2021 lot, indicating continued but generally modest secondary-market activity rather than a deep or actively tracked market. No internal Masterworks holdings, pricing metrics, or market classification for this artist could be confirmed as available for publication.

Documentation for Yao Yuqin is thin: there is no catalogue raisonne, no confirmed gallery or estate representation, and no confirmed museum holdings. The life span most often cited, 1867 to 1961, appears on two market databases but should still be treated as provisional pending a museum, catalogue, or obituary source. Recorded prices for the artist's paintings have ranged from roughly USD 100 to the reported high of USD 43,750, a wide spread that suggests real variation in condition, subject, and provenance across lots rather than a stable market curve. Because at least one market database lists this artist's auction record jointly with a second name, Yuanji Zhang, collectors should confirm attribution and seals directly against the physical work and any available condition report before relying on a listing alone.