A01=J. P. Park
Art forgery techniques and Chinese art
Art historical analysis
art history
Authentication issues in Chinese art
authenticity
Author_J. P. Park
Category=AGA
Chinese art forgeries and fake artworks
conservation
Counterfeit art
deception
early modern China
eq_art-fashion-photography
eq_bestseller
eq_isMigrated=1
eq_isMigrated=2
eq_nobargain
eq_non-fiction
Evolution of art deception in China
Historical art fraud and Chinese paintings
historical documentation
Provenance
scandals
Sinology
Product details
- ISBN 9780520403802
- Weight: 771g
- Dimensions: 178 x 254mm
- Publication Date: 04 Mar 2025
- Publisher: University of California Press
- Publication City/Country: US
- Product Form: Hardback
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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.
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.
J. P. Park is the June and Simon Li Professor in the History of Art at the University of Oxford.
