Page 43 - Made For Trade Chinese Export Paintings In Dutch Collections

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is not preferable, because of several reasons. different aspects of its life, including those
With this painting, truly emblematic for the focused on technical, social, and economic
historical China trade, are many narratives to values. The core of a cultural biography
(re)construct. Future museum audiences can comprises the chain of events through which a
learn about the various appealing facets painting becomes culturally marked and
connected with this specific art genre and the unmarked. As Kopytoff suggests “a culturally
painting’s social life from its production to the informed biography of an object would look at
state of it today. a biography as a culturally constructed entity,
In other words, it seems that Chinese export endowed with culturally specific meanings, and
paintings are ultimate commodities, with an classified and reclassified into culturally
42 aesthetic contextualisation as a natural result of constituted categories.” 23 Chinese export
the commodifying process. But is this right? In paintings are culturally marked objects with a
fact, there is a serious but in here. We have just specific use value in their social life. How, and
read that pathways from production to from what perspective their biographies deal
consumption sometimes lead to ‘freezing’, when with their social life and related use value must
an object is set apart as cultural heritage. Let us be studied. Many different aspects of a painting’s
dwell, then, on the determination that Chinese cultural biography along its trajectory contribute
export paintings are ‘commodities’ by examining to its value. Although its commodity value can
the three aspects of commodity-hood. be distinghuised from its artistic value, when
studying this art genre these two sorts of values
A cultural biography perspective: can never be looked at separately. On the
the commodity phase contrary, this kind or art is filled with social and
Over time, objects can move in and out of the cultural connotations, the various layers of
commodity phase, the period representative of which are built up throughout a painting’s
the moment during an object’s life when it is existence, culminating in the conclusion that
operating as a commodity. I aim to analyse the such a painting can be treated as an art object.
total trajectories of Chinese export paintings in Questions that arise when we approach
the Dutch museum collections and, as we shall paintings as commodities with a biographical
see, most of them did not stay with their first model are: What are the biographical
owner, but instead travelled widely before possibilities inherent in their status regarding
entering the museum. On their journey, the value notions such as exchange value, period and
initially ascribed to them appears to be fluid and culture? Where does the painting come from and
subject to changing interpretations; in other who made it? What has been their career so far?
words, “the values are constantly in flux,” as What are the recognised ‘ages’ or periods in a
Diana Fridberg, anthropologist and research painting’s life and, what are the cultural markers
associate at Washington University in St. Louis, for the paintings? What did a specific painting
remarks in her online article ‘The social life of represent for the succession of people who
things’. 22 Every time a Chinese export painting owned it? A painting would have passed through
is transferred, its cultural context and its use or several hands during its production, its ‘middle
function shifts and, at the same time, this defines passage’ from a Chinese painting studio to a
its changing exchange value. On this journey Western home or museum wall. A painting
through different social-cultural milieus, passing can be admired, cared for, bequeathed as an
through time as well as space, the paintings are heirloom, sold, exhibited, damaged, de-
subsequently assigned historical value, aesthetic commodified, rediscovered, restored and once
value, memory value, and economic value. more admired in its former glory. The
Kopytoff’s formulation of the perspective of a biographical aspect of a Chinese export painting
cultural biography of objects, which is as heirloom and antique is clear, but Kopytoff
appropriate to specific things as they move prompts us to ask, how does the painting’s use
through different hands, contexts and uses, (or sentimental) value change with age? 24 Are
seems an essential and workable tool for heirlooms valuable just because they are unique,
allowing these paintings to speak to us. We will or because of their specific history? What is their
see that such a painting may have a number of capacity to accumulate a history as a collector’s
different potential biographies focused on item? What happens to them when they reach

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22 Fridberg 2008. https://www.academia.edu/19364792/The_Social_Life_of_Things (consulted October 2016).
23 Kopytoff 1986, 68.
24 Ibid., 66-67.