Value accruement and dwindling of an iconic Chinese export painting: a journey

In the 19th century Chinese export paintings had a strong appeal to foreigners, who were in China because of maritime trade. Harbour views, like those of Macao, Bocca Tigris, Whampoa and Canton, are still signifiers of the historical China trade in our time. This important category of Chinese export paintings must be analysed not just as simple representations, but also as commodities whose value and meaning were accrued through specific and economically forms of exchange. In some cases, we can trace the journeys of these artworks and detect their impact on patterns of consumption. In doing so, we will see that the paintings accrue value through the social processes of accumulation, possession, mechanisms of artistic circulation and cultural exchanges. By mapping a cultural biography of an iconic harbour view, this chapter shows that the value of this transcultural artwork lies in its movement and connected interpretations.FGW – Publications not associated with a particular research are