Open Daily: 10am - 10pm | Alley door pickup 10am - 7pm 3038 Hennepin Ave Minneapolis, MN
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  • Open Daily: 10am - 10pm
    Alley-side Pickup: 10am - 7pm

    3038 Hennepin Ave Minneapolis, MN
    612-822-4611

Open Daily: 10am - 10pm | Alley-side Pickup: 10am - 7pm
3038 Hennepin Ave Minneapolis, MN
612-822-4611
The Forger's Creed: Reinventing Art History in Early Modern China

The Forger's Creed: Reinventing Art History in Early Modern China

Park, J. P.

Hardcover

Art HistoryChinese HistoryChinese Art

ISBN10: 0520403800
ISBN13: 9780520403802
Publisher: University of California Press
Published: Mar 4 2025
Pages: 240
Weight: 1.65
Height: 0.80 Width: 7.10 Depth: 10.20
Language: English
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.

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