Bronze-script calligraphy is a new form of art that emerged when Qing calligraphers began to write by modeling on ancient bronze inscriptions. It has long been regarded by art historians as a product of the Qing academic research, or more specifically the etymology study of bronze inscriptions, and therefore it has always been attributed to scholars of bronze studies. However, this view is not without question as it cannot explain why there are works of bronze-script calligraphy produced by non-scholar calligraphers. This research takes Zhang Tingji as a case study, for he has been “mistakenly” recorded as a scholar-calligrapher of bronze script, but in fact he was a collector rather than a scholar of ancient bronzes. By clarifying Zhang’s position as a collector, this study provides a better understanding of the nature of his calligraphy and enriches the historical context of the practice of bronze-script writing. In addition, by identifying Zhang’s calligraphy as “collector’s calligraphy”, this thesis also contributes to expanding our knowledge on the social function of traditional Chinese calligraphy, particularly the function of self-promotion and network building.