4. Classical painting sells for $49 million in New York

A 13th-century classical Chinese scroll painting fetched $49 million from an anonymous bidder at a New York auction in March.

The ink brush Song Dynasty (960-1279) painting titled Six Dragons once belonged to Emperor Qianlong of the Qing Dynasty. It was transported to Japan in the early 20th century and then became part of the collection of the Osaka-based Fujita Museum.

The 4-meter-long painting by Cheng Rong was cataloged in Shi Qu Bao Ji, an inventory of the Qing Dynasty's imperial collections. Chen Rong was a master of Chinese ink dragon painting, and has left about 25 pieces of artworks worldwide.