Chen Dewang sneered when he heard that and said, "Right, Zhang Ruitu was indeed quite famous in calligraphy, but let me ask you—do you know what factors determine the price of calligraphy?"
One knew one's own limitations. Jia Decai definitely had no idea about such a specialized question, so he simply shook his head.
Jia Decai's words and actions had nearly exhausted Chen Dewang's patience. However, he had to repay Chu Chen's favor, so he could only patiently explain, "The value of a calligraphy work is mainly determined by several factors: the level of the calligraphy, the author's fame, its age, its rarity, and the work's provenance, among others."
Jia Decai muttered when he heard this, "Isn't that too troublesome? Can't an item's value simply be determined by how famous its creator is?"
Fame was a comprehensive concept. It included an artwork's influence, status, personal charisma, and society's recognition of it, among other things. The fame accumulated through an artist's influence and social recognition supported works that gained value through artistic creativity, and such works often possessed relatively lasting appeal in the market. But
Chen Dewang sneered. "According to you, then everyone might as well compete over fame. Why bother practicing calligraphy?"
Speaking of which, quite a few calligraphers did rely on status or celebrity effects to become famous. For example, celebrities from various fields, officials, show-business stars, or people holding important leadership positions in professional associations might enjoy calligraphy as a personal hobby, but have mediocre or even terrible calligraphic skills. Yet they could still win market recognition for a time.
That was because people bought their calligraphy for their fame or the power they held. But once they retired or fell from power and their fame weakened, the value of their calligraphy works would plummet, sometimes to the