The valuation of copies for Chinese artworks

Kim Oosterlinck (), Anne-Sophie Radermecker () and Yuqing Song ()
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Kim Oosterlinck: Université Libre de Bruxelles
Anne-Sophie Radermecker: Université Libre de Bruxelles
Yuqing Song: Université Libre de Bruxelles

Journal of Cultural Economics, 2025, vol. 49, issue 1, No 4, 99-140

Abstract: 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.

Keywords: Global art market; Copies; Dong Qichang; Chinese calligraphy and painting; Valuation mechanisms (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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DOI: 10.1007/s10824-023-09495-6

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