Page 63 - Made For Trade Chinese Export Paintings In Dutch Collections

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valuable information on the pleasing aspects descendants, a painting (collection) accrues
of Chinese export painting. 110 One side of the worth in a different way. To discover the
chain aimed to obtain colourful, exotic and mechanisms at work in the paintings’ life,
minute presentations of Chinese life in all its writing a cultural biography is an appropriate
facets, while the other side’s ambition was to sell tool for disclosing the related stories about its
and make money. It is generally known that both representational, historical-documentary,
sides successfully achieved these major goals. identity-enhancing, symbolic and/or
merchandising function. When owning such
2.6. artworks, as museums do, it is important to
Conclusion know these stories. That is why Made for Trade
62 This chapter presented a number of coherent uses this biographical angle, with its closely
theoretical concepts that can be helpful for linked materiality-aspect, as an instrument to
approaching Chinese export paintings in general expand the knowledge of the Dutch collections.
and the Dutch corpus in particular, in a new These paintings are tangible elements of a
way. In conclusion, the most fitting angles and visual economy which emanated from the
useful concepts and ‘tools’ are selected to give historical Dutch trade with China and Indonesia,
this shared cultural repertoire the right place and at the heart of an ever-changing material (global)
status in relation to its appreciated use value. complex. To argue that Chinese export painting
Made for Trade combines these multiple can be seen as an art form in its own right with
concepts and will apply them appropriately, the idiosyncrasies of the works, this dissertation
depending on the discussed genre or topic. highlights that the transcultural character of this
The related concepts are applicable to the painting phenomenon is its most important
argumentation in this dissertation to underscore feature. In essence, it is the composite,
the strenght and value of Chinese export integrated, EurAsian appearance that certifies
painting. Primarily, this study examines the their success as ‘shared’ artworks and their
‘sites’ (production, painting itself, reception) (current) high appraisal at the art market.
and the ‘modalities’ (subject matter, techniques, Although this painting genre strongly refers to
composition, social element) at stake when China and its trade with Western seafaring
evaluating the Dutch corpus. Further, from this countries, the works are able to negotiate
macro visual analysis model (sites and between multiple cultures. The variety in subject
modalities), Made for Trade unravels the notions matter literally demonstrates transcultural
‘value’ and ‘transcultural’ in a bid to find exchange and, at the same time, the paintings
answers and arguments to understand the themselves are material exponents of this
current status and the meaning of the Dutch exchange. Their interpretation, however, will
collections. differ depending on their sites of location, on
With Chinese export paintings accruing the people involved with their conservation,
different values through time and space, and and on the prevailing zeitgeist.
throughout their afterlife, a discrepancy between Using an interdisciplinary approach, and
different systems of value must be ascertained. combining the various values of this
To understand this, the term ‘value’ must be transcultural painting genre, I can determine a
conceived in all its possible meanings. On the fresh and innovative attitude to the Dutch
one hand, there is the Chinese trade value system collections with their specific art-commodity
of the South Chinese harbour cities in the character. Insights from the art theoretical
nineteenth century, based on supply and perspective (Rose), anthropology (Kopytoff,
demand. Apparently, this fact an sich is Poole and Ter Keurs), symmetrical archaeology
ambigously used in the course of time to (Olsen), and translation studies (Young), enables
evaluate Chinese export paintings in the Western us to understand these paintings in their
world. On the other hand, after being sold, a complexity and their speciality. Once, the one-
painting, at least when it was bought for dimensional art history perspective dismissed
circulation in the art market system, enters the these kinds of artworks because they did not fit
Western trade value system, which is based on both the Western and Chinese artistic canons
taste-setting trends, gallery prices, and auction with their strict conventions and rules.
records. 111 Or, when valued as an identity Currently, it is precisely this multilayered
marker for former China-goers and their character, which creates the strong own position

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110 Mok 2014, 36.
111 Steiner 1994, 68.