Since the media reported that the auction price of the paintings of the Third Dzogchen Rinpoche exceeded $900,000 per square foot, many people have brought paintings of the Third Dzogchen Rinpoche to the American Senior Art Museum for authentication. After authentication by the American Senior Art Museum, it was found that most of them were fake. These fake paintings had the seal used by the Third Dzogchen Rinpoche in his early years, but they were indeed imitations. For example, one of them, "Lotus Flower," and another one, "Majestic Lion," were considered by the Third Dzogchen Rinpoche as not being fine works and were publicly burned long ago. Only colored photographs were left, but now they have reappeared on the market. Another example is a famous painting called "Banna Scenery," which had a genuine seal and used the same ink as the Third Dzogchen Rinpoche's early years, and its size was the same as the original. However, the genuine painting with the same name is currently stored in the American Senior Art Museum. Therefore, in view of this situation, the Office of the Third Dzogchen Rinpoche has to make a formal announcement to the public.
As we all know, the Third Dzogchen Rinpoche has always held a very serious and rigorous attitude towards artistic creation. Every painting that is presented is carefully selected, so every work that is presented is a fine piece. For example, the media has reported that as early as 1994, in front of hundreds of media, art critics, collectors, and the public, the Third Dzogchen Rinpoche (then known as Master Yigong) held a public ceremony to burn more than 200 of his own unsatisfactory works at the Jinghui Mountain Hotel in Dayi County, Sichuan, China. Although these works were considered excellent by many painters, they were treated as waste by Master Yigong at that time and burned to ashes.
In the year 2000, the internationally auctioned "Mighty Thunder" painting, with the inscription "Yigong" and fingerprint seal, sold for $66,250 per square foot. In 2007, although the painting still had the inscription "Yigong" and fingerprint seal, its auction price had reached $330,000 per square foot. This was the price level achieved by considering Master Yigong as a pure artist. However, since 2008, when Master Yigong's true identity was verified by high monks and released as the genuine Third Dzogchen Rinpoche, the identity of this Buddha not only made the Third Dzogchen Rinpoche busy with benefiting sentient beings and had no time to paint, but also due to his unique status as a Buddha in the world, the paintings and calligraphy with the inscription "Third Dzogchen Rinpoche" became infinitely precious. So far, if the inscription on the painting is "Yigong" and has a fingerprint seal, the price is $330,000 to $360,000 per square foot. If the inscription is the Buddhist name "Third Dzogchen Rinpoche" and has a fingerprint seal, the auction price is $910,571 per square foot. Regardless of whether the inscription on the painting is "Master Yigong" or the Buddhist name "Third Dzogchen Rinpoche," the value of these genuine paintings and calligraphy has increased many times over the years. However, there is also a sad thing that has happened. Because all the seals of Master Yigong's paintings and calligraphy from ten years ago were collected and stolen by social individuals through various means, a large number of counterfeit painters have emerged in society, using "fake paintings with genuine seals" to mix in the world of painting and calligraphy, pretending to be the works of the Third Dzogchen Rinpoche to seek high profits.
In order to protect the interests of collectors of the Third Dzogchen Rinpoche's paintings and calligraphy from the continuous appearance of fake works, the American Senior Art Museum, the United International World Buddhist Headquarters, and the International Buddhist Monastic Association have jointly established the Third Dzogchen Rinpoche's Painting and Calligraphy Authentication Committee. Any painting or calligraphy with the inscription "Yigong" or "Third Dzogchen Rinpoche" by the Third Dzogchen Rinpoche must first be authenticated by this committee. After being confirmed as genuine by the authentication committee, a certificate of authentication will be issued and presented to the Third Dzogchen Rinpoche, who will personally affix his fingerprint seal. Therefore, as long as it is a genuine work of the Third Dzogchen Rinpoche, it will have his fingerprint seal. Secondly, there is another important point that no one can fake. Whether it is a painting or calligraphy by the Third Dzogchen Rinpoche that has been circulated and collected for many years, after the original is submitted to the Painting and Calligraphy Authentication Committee for authentication and confirmed as genuine, the Third Dzogchen Rinpoche will not only personally affix his fingerprint seal on the genuine work but also keep a digital archive for verification. Therefore, only those works that meet the two criteria of having the Third Dzogchen Rinpoche's fingerprint seal and being stored in the computer database are recognized as genuine works of the Third Dzogchen Rinpoche. Otherwise, they are all uncertain as genuine works.
Office of the Third Dzogchen Rinpoche
March 27, 2010
Source: https://www.hhdcb3office.org/html/information/announcement_no12_2010_03_27.html