Consumption of Painting and Calligraphy and Counterfeiting Phenomenon in Late Ming Dynasty

ABSTRACT: Amidst the landscape of thriving commodity economy during mid and late Ming Dynasty, painting and calligraphy market had made

great headway and so did the scale of consumers. Literati class, the main producers of painting and calligraphy, began to take it as full-time job, creating in a large scale and even catering to the demand of market, which contributed to the popularization of consumption of these art works. Hence, in a time when economic consciousness of the society had been changed, counterfeiters, driven by desire of money, began to appear and not soon later developed into special groups and gathered in particular regions. Beyond that, as consumption of painting and calligraphy started to serve as an important tool for the merchant to socialize with the literati in a time when the division between the two had been narrowed, some counterfeiters, tempted by potential benefits, taking the most of merchants’ little connoisseurship, began to practice faking. Furthermore, dominant commodity attribution of the cultural works also provoked this phenomenon.

Key words: Late Ming Dynasty; the painting and calligraphy market; painting and calligraphy consumption; counterfeiting; the commercialization of cultural products.

Liu Zhongxing: Associate Professor, School of History and Culture, Central China Normal University, Wuhan, China. E-mail: liuniu81811@126.com.

Yang Feng(Corresponding Author): Graduate Student, School of History and Culture, Central China Normal University, Wuhan, China. Email: yangfeng0629@126.com.