中国在唐代开始出现了专事字画生意的画商。当时向皇帝进献名画不仅可以加官晋爵,还可以得到大笔奖金,一些精于字画鉴别又有经济头脑的人,便开始专门从事书画的收购与贩卖,从中获利。这便是中国艺术品市场的雏形。经过唐、宋、元、明等朝代上千年的发展,到清代时,中国的艺术品市场已基本成熟,字画的一级市场十分活跃。许多书画家把艺术与谋生紧密联系起来,以“扬州八怪”为代表的画家群甚至把自己的生计完全寄托在出卖字画上。“扬 China began to appear in the Tang Dynasty painter specializing in calligraphy and painting business. At that time, the introduction of famous paintings to the emperor not only added officials to the jin jue but also received big bonuses. Some who were skilled in calligraphy and painting and economically minded began to specialize in the acquisition and sale of paintings and calligraphy and profit from them. This is the prototype of the Chinese art market. After the development of the Tang, Song, Yuan, Ming and other dynasties for thousands of years, by the Qing Dynasty, the art market in China was basically mature, and the primary market for calligraphy and painting was very active. Many calligraphers closely linked art with making a living, and the group of painters represented by ”Yangzhou Baicai“ even completely placed their own livelihoods on selling paintings. ”Young