Ancient Chinese Calligraphy and Painting Catalogue Volume Five

Author: Ancient Chinese Calligraphy and Painting Appraisal Group
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2005-10-01
Features: Since the founding of the People's Republic of China, the Party and the government have always attached great importance to the cause of cultural relics. During the time of the beloved Premier Zhou Enlai, he showed particular concern. From the 1950s to the early 1960s, national cultural relic authorities vigorously purchased cultural relics and enacted laws to prevent their export. Many collectors, driven by patriotic enthusiasm, donated their collections to the state. As a result, the holdings of calligraphy and painting in museums continued to grow, and appraisal work became urgently needed. At that time, an appraisal team was formed to work in various regions. However, soon after the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution, Premier Zhou passed away unexpectedly, and this work came to a halt. Since the Third Plenary Session of the Eleventh Central Committee of the Party, the cultural relic front has carried out rectification from all aspects to fulfill Premier Zhou's. The Catalog of Fine Ancient Chinese Books and Manuscripts has now begun to take shape. Recently, the appraisal of calligraphy and painting has once again received the support of Comrade Gu Mu and Comrade Deng Liqun. In June 1983, with the approval of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, the Ministry of Culture established the Ancient Chinese Calligraphy and Painting Appraisal Group to conduct a comprehensive and systematic investigation and appraisal of existing ancient calligraphy and painting across the country, publishing catalogs, picture indexes, and large-scale albums. The purpose and role of this appraisal have four aspects: First, to investigate the condition of calligraphy and painting held by cultural relic departments and cultural and educational organizations across the country; Second, to assist units in appraising their collections, distinguishing between fine and mediocre works, and identifying authenticity; Third, to provide appraisal and evaluation for some private collections; Fourth, to fundamentally determine the authenticity of calligraphy and painting, assess their quality, and thereby better protect cultural relics, provide rich material for art history researchers, and enhance the scientific rigor of their research. It is also planned to cultivate a group of middle-aged and young professionals through this work, establishing a team for calligraphy and painting appraisal. In coordination with this appraisal work, three books will be published: First, an account-style catalog of works appraised as genuine, which will include most of them, titled Ancient Chinese Calligraphy and Painting Catalog; Second, a monochrome picture index of selected outstanding works, titled Ancient Chinese Calligraphy and Painting Picture Index; Third, a specialized album of the most exquisite and important works. The Ancient Chinese Calligraphy and Painting Catalog and the Ancient Chinese Calligraphy and Painting Picture Index will adopt a method of cataloging and publishing as the appraisal progresses. They will be arranged in chronological order of appraisal and grouped by the institutions holding the works. Within each group, the works will be listed in order of the era of their creators. When the appraisal work is completed and all catalogs are compiled, a comprehensive index will be published to facilitate reference.