A LIFETIME of notes written by a late master appraiser of art pieces were published by the Palace Museum in Beijing, according to a news conference at the museum Dec. 27. Liu Jiu’an (1915-1999), once a researcher at the Palace Museum, is generally considered to be one of the country’s best appraisers of ancient Chinese paintings and calligraphic works of the 20th century. Working in the industry for nearly seven decades, he appraised 60,000 works in over 200 institutions nationwide. He also donated more than 100 antique paintings and calligraphies from his personal collection to the Palace Museum. From 1956 to 1997, he continuously kept notes, diaries, logs and collections of files on the appraisal of artworks, totaling over 3 million characters in length in 273 copies and thus leaving behind a huge legacy for related work benefiting the country. These precious handwritten files are now categorized and published in photocopies. According to a plan disclosed by the museum, highlights in the notes plus other scholars’ comments will be published in the future following in-depth research. (Xinhua) |