It is a long history and tradition in China that Chinese paintings and calligraphy works are circulated and sold as commodities in markets. In lots of historical documents, it had been proved that transactions of Chinese art works started from elites and literati who were art connoisseurs and would appreciate and collect art pieces. Nowadays, transactions of Chinese art works play an important role in the global art market. This time, the Humanities Research Center invites Professor Xiaojun Tao, the Associate Research Fellow at the College of Cultural Industries of Nanjing Art Institute, to give us a lecture on the market of Chinese paintings and calligraphy works during the late Qing dynasty (1840-1912).

The earliest record mentioning that Chinese paintings and calligraphy works had market value is “calligraphy or paintings completed by hired labors” which could be traced back to the Han dynasty. This short description shows that art at that time was created for practical purposes but not for collection. Later in the Jin dynasty and the Northern and Southern dynasties, calligraphy works of famous calligraphers, such as Hsi-chih Wang, Hsien-chih Wang, or Tzu-yun Hsiao, would be found in the art market for sale. There was a popular saying in the Southern dynasties (the Liu Song period and the Southern Qi period) that “If you buy Wang’s and Yang’s works, you would not be disappointed.” It is obvious that calligraphy works of Hsi-chih Wang and Hsin Yang had already gained great reputations in the art market.

In the Sui and Tang dynasties, people’s need of Chinese paintings and calligraphy works became stronger. There was a system to classify art pieces according to its quality and painter. Famous artists’ works would be priced individually, and prices of few top works were extremely high. Besides, active art dealers began to show up in the art market. Along with the development of towns and cities in the Song dynasty, the commerce of China flourished considerably. The whole art market was benefited greatly from this economic growth and started to meet needs and tastes of different groups of customers, such as the royal house, the local governments, temples, or ordinary people. Professional painters and calligraphers who earned their living by painting or writing calligraphy were popular in the art market. Some literati painters also joined in the art market. In addition, there were more and more agents who were middlemen between sellers and buyers. The transaction of the art works became common in the Yuan dynasty, and some technical terms were also invented to evaluate can classify art pieces. However, at that time, it seemed that there was not a permanent place for art transactions. Therefore, it is possible that buying and collecting art pieces were merely popular with elites and literati. Until the Ming and Qing dynasties, the art market of Chinese paintings and calligraphies boomed. In most of developed cities, people could usually find commercial centers for art transactions. In some cities, painters even organized guilds for themselves. The higher of the prices of art pieces, the more people would be attracted to be painters or calligraphers. The competitive art market helped the development of the industry and the improvement of quality. Numbers of art dealers and painters witnessed an increase on an unprecedented scale.

In this forthcoming lecture, Professor Tao will analyze, from the cultural aspect, the prosperity of the art market of Chinese paintings and calligraphies in the late Qing dynasty and how the market worked. If paintings and calligraphies were regarded as unique commodities, was there any special rule in appraising them or doing the transactions? Professor Tao will reveal the secret of the art market in the late Qing that could be a very good reference for contemporary art markets. We look forwards to your participation.