The Forger's Creed (eBook)

Reinventing Art History in Early Modern China

J. P. Park (Autor)

eBook Download: EPUB

2025
240 Seiten
University of California Press (Verlag)
9780520403819 (ISBN)

Infos

The first in-depth look at the history and legacies of forgeries in Chinese art.
 
In 1634, scholar-official Zhang Taijie (b. ca. 1588) published a book titled A Record of Treasured Paintings (C. Baohui lu), presenting an extensive catalogue of a purportedly vast painting collection he claimed to have built. However, the entire book is Zhang's meticulously crafted forgery; he even forged paintings to match the documentation, and profited from trading them. Furthermore, the book intriguingly mirrors unfounded art-historical claims of its time. Prominent figures like Dong Qichang (1555–1636) made entirely fabricated arguments to assert legitimate lineages in Chinese art, designed to create a fictionalized history shaped by preferred beliefs rather than reality.
 
While presenting the first comprehensive exploration of various forgery practices in early modern China—fabricated texts, forged paintings, and fictitious art history—The Forger's Creed examines the cultural, social, and genealogical desires, anxieties, and tensions prevalent in early modern China. Through thorough scrutiny of the historical irregularities introduced by these forgeries, J. P. Park highlights a peculiar and paradoxical phenomenon wherein forgeries transform into legitimate materials across Chinese history.

Inhalt

Contents

List of Illustrations 
Author’s Note 
Acknowledgments 
Prologue: James Cahill, Art Historian and Forger

Introduction: Zhang Taijie, the Greatest Art Collector in Chinese History? 
1. The Literary Making of the Past: Reading History from Forged Texts 
2. To Deceive Is to Believe: Paintings Forged 
3. Inventing Traditions: Fabricated Art History 
Conclusion: Zhang Taijie, Dong Qichang, and the Carnival 

Glossary 
Notes 
Bibliography 
Index 

Produkt-Details

• Erscheint lt. Verlag: 4.3.2025
• Sprache: englisch
• Themenwelt: Kunst / Musik / Theater ► Kunstgeschichte / Kunststile
• Schlagworte: Art forgery techniques and Chinese art • art historical analysis • Art History • Authentication issues in Chinese art • authenticity • Chinese art forgeries and fake artworks • conservation • Counterfeit art • Deception • Early modern China • Evolution of art deception in China • Historical art fraud and Chinese paintings • historical documentation • Provenance • scandals • Sinology
• ISBN-13: 9780520403819 / 9780520403819