Google Image Search can identify a lot of things. But according to a new lawsuit filed in Oregon, multimillion-dollar Chinese paintings aren’t one of them.
An estate sale company is accused of selling dozens of Chinese scrolls and rubbings for as little as $45 apiece after allegedly relying on Google Image Search to value them. Now the family that owned the works wants the sale unwound, arguing that several pieces could be worth hundreds of thousands—or even millions—of dollars.
The lawsuit, first reported by the Oregonian, was filed Monday in Clackamas County Circuit Court by John E. Moody, who says Marble Road Estate Sales dramatically undervalued a cache of Chinese artworks discovered while clearing out his late mother’s home near Lake Oswego.
According to the complaint, the scrolls had been tucked beneath clothing and textiles inside two chests. Moody says he believed they had long ago been sold, donated, or lost because they never appeared in the estate inventory. Instead, he alleges they were uncovered during the estate sale and priced between $45 and $275 without his knowledge.
Court filings claim several of the works may be by Xu Beihong, “one of China’s most celebrated modern artists.” One scroll depicting a galloping horse is believed to be by Xu, according to the lawsuit. His paintings have sold at auction for hundreds of thousands of dollars, and his record stands at nearly $42 million. (Data from ARTDAI reviewed by ARTnews shows Xu’s top five most expensive art works sold at auction for between $3.9 million and $9.2 million.)
