IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/kap/jculte/v49y2025i1d10.1007_s10824-023-09495-6.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

The valuation of copies for Chinese artworks

Author

Listed:
  • Kim Oosterlinck

    (Université Libre de Bruxelles)

  • Anne-Sophie Radermecker

    (Université Libre de Bruxelles)

  • Yuqing Song

    (Université Libre de Bruxelles)

Abstract

Are copies always inferior to originals in value? In this paper, we first detail the differences existing between copies in the Western and the Eastern worlds and the influence of these differences on their appreciation. In the Western world, copies are often unnamed. By contrast, in China, artists are used to adding seals and inscriptions to declare the authorship of the artworks, even for copies. While the Western obsession with autography explains the lower prices observed for Western copies, Chinese markets also consider the formal aspects of copies in art valuation. Focusing on the eminent Chinese old master Dong Qichang (1555–1636), our empirical analysis demonstrates that the prices of copies may be higher than those of originals when the name of the copying artist is known. The paper sheds light on how buyers value copies in the context of a globalized art market.

Suggested Citation

  • Kim Oosterlinck & Anne-Sophie Radermecker & Yuqing Song, 2025. "The valuation of copies for Chinese artworks," Journal of Cultural Economics, Springer;The Association for Cultural Economics International, vol. 49(1), pages 99-140, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:kap:jculte:v:49:y:2025:i:1:d:10.1007_s10824-023-09495-6
    DOI: 10.1007/s10824-023-09495-6
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s10824-023-09495-6
    File Function: Abstract
    Download Restriction: Access to full text is restricted to subscribers.
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1007/s10824-023-09495-6?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:kap:jculte:v:49:y:2025:i:1:d:10.1007_s10824-023-09495-6. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    We have no bibliographic references for this item. You can help adding them by using this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Sonal Shukla or Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.springer.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.