Research On Yangzhou’s "Er Ma" Art Collection Activities

Yangzhou "Er Ma" is Ma Yueguan(1687-1755)and Ma Yuelu(1695-?)Brother,There were Hui Confucian merchants who lived in Jiangdu and engaged in salt industry.This article analyzes the opportunity for "Er Ma" to enter the field of art collection and their aesthetic interests by exploring the family background and portrait characteristics of "Er Ma" in Yangzhou,as well as the organization of elegant collection activities,and the process of art collection.At the same time,it also points out the contribution of their elegant collection activities to the development of art in their era.First of all,starting from the family background of the "two horses" in Yangzhou,through the study of their family background and social environment,to prove the conditions for the brothers to enter the field of art collection.Then,starting with the inscriptions and postscripts in the "Four Seasons Landscape Album" collected by Ma Yueguan and marked by the scholars,it is concluded that "Er Ma" entered the field of art collection during his youth.After that,through the search and collation of literature,several main sources of the "Erma" art collection were identified,namely,purchase,gift collection,and exchange.The main categories of collection include calligraphy,painting,and gold and stone.Then,we will explore the existing images of the "Er Ma" and analyze the relationship between the shaping of their image characteristics and their management and collection,in order to supplement the reasons for the "Er Ma" entering the field of art collection from the perspective of image research.From the perspective of interaction between scholars and businessmen,conduct relevant research on the communication of "Er Ma" to reflect their assistance in the collection of "Er Ma".Afterwards,it also explored the symbiotic significance of the actual space and abstract spirit of the small linglong Mountain Museum,the place of the Yaji,and summarized the relevant artistic Yaji activities in the Han Jiang Yin Society.Finally,it discusses the aesthetic purport of“Two horses” and its value of connoisseur-ship.It is pointed out that the salt merchants’ love of flowers directly contributed to the development of flower-and-bird painting,and the adoration of“Dong and Ju” reflected in their collections.And the value of his art collection lies not only in the treasure of the collection itself,but also in the sharing and dissemination of“Two horses” through the collection and publication,it greatly enriched and promoted the development of cultural and artistic activities in Yangzhou during the Mid-Qing dynasty.