This Ming Dynasty landscape painting with no clear signature was acquired by Zhao Zhongnan for several hundred thousand yuan from an antique market in the Capital City.
Although he couldn't specifically identify the artist or the history of the painting, he could tell, based on the style and materials alone, that it was created by a master painter of the late Ming period. A painting from the late Ming Dynasty, if not for the lack of a clear signature and known provenance, would definitely not have been acquired by Zhao Zhongnan for only several hundred thousand yuan.
It can be said that as long as the story and the artist behind this painting were clarified, even if the artist were only a slightly famous painter from the end of the Ming Dynasty, the value of the painting could be multiplied several times over and could fetch millions at auction.
