Studies in Connoisseurship is a highly acclaimed work among Chinese and Western art historians. Published in 1973 and co-authored by Marilyn Wong and Fu Shen, the book has been widely praised for its scholarly contributions to the field of Chinese painting authentication. Translated by Eros Zhao into Chinese, and published in 2023.

 

Focusing on a collection of Chinese paintings from the Sackler‘s collections at Princeton University, Studies in Connoisseurship presents both a broad overview of Chinese painting history and an in-depth exploration of issues related to connoisseurship. Through more than forty case studies of specific artworks, the book offers valuable insights into how to examine a painting and determine its authenticity, making it a practical guide that bridges theory and practice.

 

Upon its publication, Studies in Connoisseurship made a remarkable impact on Western art historical circles. It was hailed by many experts as a seminal work and became an essential reference for their own studies in painting authentication. Since the release of its English edition, the book has gone through multiple reprints and remains a long-standing bestseller. As James Cahill noted, while many significant works have emerged in the field since its publication, none have surpassed it in terms of intellectual rigor and the integration of both Chinese and Western traditions.