The Concept of Famous Painting in the Tang Dynasty: The Case of Zhang Yanyuan’s Lidai minghua ji

Abstract

This essay offers a critical reflection on the central concept of “famous painting” as expounded in Zhang Yanyuan’s Lidai minghua ji (历代名画记, A Record of Famous Paintings of All Dynasties). Building upon the past scholarship, this essay will proceed in the following three steps. I propose to distinguish the concept of “famous painting” from the common understanding of painting. I argue that it is the former that plays a central role in the entire text of the Lidai minghua ji. As a result of this new approach, I will outline an intentional and discernable structure formed by the fifteen essays in the first three books. I proceed with discussing the relationship between famous paintings and famous painters so as to demonstrate Zhang Yanyuan’s implicit intention and considerations in selecting and evaluating painters and their works. Finally, I examine the basic formats of famous painting and further elucidate the historical dimension embedded within the concept of famous painting that constituted and changed the very idea under consideration.