A celebrated painting from the Nanjing Museum's collection has surfaced at an auction, generating widespread attention in China and raising questions about the provenance and security of valuable cultural artifacts at museums.

Pang Laichen (1864-1949) was a distinguished collector in modern China. He was famous for his collection of ancient paintings for their exceptional quality and comprehensive scope.

In the 1950s, Pang's descendants donated numerous valuable ancient paintings and calligraphy works to several State-owned cultural institutions, with the Nanjing Museum receiving the largest portion of 137 pieces. Some of these ancient masterpieces have become the centerpiece of these institutions.

Unexpectedly, a Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) painting, "Jiangnan Spring" by Qiu Ying, donated to the Nanjing Museum by Pang's descendants, appeared at an art auction in Beijing this year, with an estimated price of 88 million yuan (12.5 million).

After a report by Pang's great-granddaughter, Pang Shuling, and intervention by national cultural authorities, the auction company withdrew the painting from sale.

Pang Shuling later filed a lawsuit against the Nanjing Museum, questioning how the donated painting ended up in the art market and demanding the return of "Jiangnan Spring" and other donated ancient paintings that have "disappeared" from the museum.

On Tuesday, Pang Shuling formally requested the court to compel the Nanjing Museum to provide detailed records of the whereabouts of the Ming Dynasty paintings donated by the Pang family.

On Wednesday, the Nanjing Museum issued a statement explaining that in January 1959, it officially received 137 paintings from the Pang family collection donated by Pang Zenghe, who was Pang Shuling's father.

The five disputed paintings mentioned in the report were identified as forgeries by an expert panel in 1961, and again as fakes by another panel of experts in 1964. In the 1990s, the museum disposed of these five paintings in accordance with the Museum Collection Management Regulations.

The museum said it will cooperate with the legal proceedings, thoroughly investigating the whereabouts of these five paintings, and if any illegal or non-compliant actions are found during their disposal, it will cooperate with relevant authorities for strict legal handling.

On Thursday, an official from the Jiangsu Provincial Department of Culture and Tourism responded to China Newsweek, stating that a special task force led by the department has been established to jointly investigate and handle the matter.

It said that if any related illegal activities are found, they will be dealt with, and the final findings will be promptly disclosed to the public.