"Art Politics And Palace Eunuchs In Ming China 1368–1644 | Visual Studies

This is the first in-depth analysis of the place of the Ming palace eunuchs in the social history of Chinese art examining the intricate intersections of art politics and palace eunuchs in the Ming dynasty. In addition to articulating the elite eunuchs’ roles as important power brokers in the political arena this monograph offers a balanced view of Ming eunuchs with evidence of their accomplishments as book authors editors and compilers poets calligraphers and art collectors the Confucian scholars’ typical literati pursuits. By exploring both the positive and negative roles that palace eunuchs played in the Ming’s visual culture this book reveals that Ming palace eunuchs as supervisors of both the imperial art collection and the imperial art academy and as powerful art collectors themselves made various significant impacts on the contemporary art criticism art market and art-collecting patterns. The book will be of interest to scholars working in art history Sinology and Chinese studies. |Art Politics and Palace Eunuchs in Ming China 1368–1644 | Visual Studies