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Mentioned in 1 episodes
Superfluous Things
Book • 2023
In 'Superfluous Things', Craig Clunas explores the culture of collecting, taste, and material objects among the Ming literati, particularly focusing on the circle of the painter Wen Zhengming.
The book investigates how objects functioned socially and culturally, illuminating practices of display, exchange, and connoisseurship in late imperial China.
Clunas uses close readings of paintings, objects, and writings to show how material things mediated relationships and identities among elite communities.
The work contributed to rethinking Chinese art history by emphasizing everyday objects and the social life of material culture.
It remains influential for scholars studying Ming art, collecting, and visual culture.
The book investigates how objects functioned socially and culturally, illuminating practices of display, exchange, and connoisseurship in late imperial China.
Clunas uses close readings of paintings, objects, and writings to show how material things mediated relationships and identities among elite communities.
The work contributed to rethinking Chinese art history by emphasizing everyday objects and the social life of material culture.
It remains influential for scholars studying Ming art, collecting, and visual culture.
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Mentioned in 1 episodes
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Craig Clunas
Craig Clunas, “Screen of Kings: Royal Art and Power in Ming China” (University of Hawaii Press, 2013)
