Antiques with golden eyes

"Xiaoyu, go find Sister Ya and get my hand-held microscope, and also the seal illustrations from past dynasties." Shen Yu ordered Chen Xiaoyu.

A microscope magnifies the seal and then compares it with the illustrated book. This is a process for identifying calligraphy and painting.

Even if it is a fake seal at first glance, this process must be followed when authenticating it to customers.

These are the two words spoken in the industry: rules.

Chen Xiaoyu worked very quickly, and within three minutes, two things were placed in front of Shen Yu.

Just when Shen Yu picked up the microscope to see whose seal the seal belonged to, Tang Bo made an action that surprised Shen Yu.

He actually covered the seal on the sword hilt with his hand.

"Uncle Tang, what are you doing?" Shen Yu's thick eyebrows suddenly frowned.

Tang Bo saw that Shen Yu had misunderstood and quickly explained, "Xiao Shen, it's not that I'm worried about your calligraphy and painting appraisal ability, I'm afraid that after you read this seal, it will affect your judgment."

Shen Yu smiled and said, "It's okay, Uncle Tang. We have to identify the seal. We can't say whose seal it is and whose painting it is, because it may be a collection seal, or it may be stamped by a descendant."

Uncle Tang nodded seriously, "Xiao Shen, is it possible that this "Zhong Kui Picture" was from before the Song Dynasty? For example, the work of Zhou Wenju, Huang Quan, or Dong Yuan of the Five Dynasties?

"Especially, is it possible that Huang Quan's work is authentic?"

Shen Yu was stunned for a moment after hearing this. I already said it was a painting from the Northern Song Dynasty, so why did I refer to famous artists from the Five Dynasties?

But if you think about it carefully, you can really get involved.

After all, there was only a few decades between the end of the Tang Dynasty and the Northern Song Dynasty, which can be said to have passed in time.

The "Xuanhe Painting Manual" of the Northern Song Dynasty divides paintings into categories, including Buddhist and Taoist paintings, figure paintings, palace paintings, dragon and fish paintings, landscape paintings, animal and animal paintings, flower and bird paintings, ink bamboo paintings, vegetable and fruit paintings, etc.

Nowadays, when people look at "Zhong Kui Picture", they will think it is a figure painting. Of course, it is also reasonable to say that it is a figure painting.

But at that time, immortal paintings such as Zhong Kui's paintings were 100% Buddhist paintings.

In the Northern Song Dynasty and the Sui and Tang Dynasties before the Northern Song Dynasty, Buddhist and Taoist paintings were regarded as the first category of painting.

This led to the emergence of numerous famous Buddhist and Taoist paintings in the Tang and Song dynasties.

In other words, the famous painting masters at that time would all paint Taoist paintings. For example, the top painters such as Zhou Wenju, Dong Yuan, and Huang Quan, whom Tang Bo just mentioned, all painted "Zhong Kui Picture".

Huang Quan, a great painter known as the Huang family's wealth, and Wang Yan, the former Shu emperor, had an allusion to Wu Daozi's original painting "Zhong Kui Picture".

What Uncle Tang said is closely related to this allusion.

Speaking of the former Shu, someone found a "Zhong Kui Picture" and dedicated it to the then emperor Wang Yan. After identification, it was an authentic work by Wu Daozi, a painting sage from the Tang Dynasty.

That's the one Wu Daozi painted for Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty.

Wang Yan was so happy that he hung the painting in the inner hall as a treasure and would not show it to others easily.

But after looking at it for a long time, Wang Yan felt that the picture of Zhong Kui painted by Wu Daozi was good, but the details needed to be modified. Zhong Kui used two fingers to press his eyes to catch ghosts, which is obviously not as powerful as the thumb. According to common sense, it should be changed to the thumb.

That's right.

So Wang Yan ordered Huang Quan to be called over, and expressed his opinion and asked Huang Quan to try to modify it.

Although Huang Quan was awaiting imperial edict at the Royal Academy of Painting at the time, he was just seventeen years old after all, and was not as famous as the wealthy Huang family would be in later generations.

After repeatedly viewing the original work of the painting saint, he thought to himself, "Your Majesty, Your Majesty, aren't you kidding me?"

I am an ordinary painter and you want me to modify the original work of the painting sage? Isn’t this the case of Guan Gong playing with a big knife in front of the gate, and Lu Ban playing with a big ax in front of the gate?

But what the emperor said was true, and Wang Yan, the empress of the former Shu, admired Huang Quan very much, otherwise he would not have let him modify the original painting. It was considered a kindness, and it would not be enough if he did not modify it.

But Huang Quan was afraid of changing it. At that time, Wang Yan, the empress of former Shu, was four years older than Huang Quan, only 21 years old. At this age, he can be said to be moody. What if he felt bad after the change and had to change it back again?

What?

So Huang Quan completely suffered from insomnia.

After thinking about it for several days, he suddenly came up with an idea.

I will draw a "Picture of Zhong Kui" by myself and present it to the emperor together with the original work of the painting sage. The emperor will definitely be able to distinguish the good from the bad after comparing it. Naturally, he will not force me to modify it then, right?

As soon as he thought of it, Huang Quan took a bath, changed clothes, and calmly painted his own "Zhong Kui Picture" according to Wang Yan's description, and then presented it to Wang Yan together with the original work of the painting sage.

Wang Yan was furious when he saw it. You Huang Quan dared to resist the order? I asked you to change the painting, not copy it!

Huang Quan just begged Wang Yan to see the painting.

When Wang Yan sees this, he will be divided into superior and inferior.

Although Huang Quan's "Picture of Zhong Kui" has strong brushwork and superb painting skills, and the painting of Zhong Kui is lifelike and not angry, which can be said to be very impressive, but it is not interesting compared with the original work of the painting saint.

So Wang Yan not only did not blame Huang Quan, but also rewarded him generously.

Teng Changyou, the flower and bamboo master, Diao Guang, the bird master, Li Sheng, the landscape master, Xue Ji, the crane master, and Sun Yu, the dragon master, were all masters of painting at that time or in the Tang Dynasty.

Later, Huang Quan learned that the brushstrokes were bold and free of rhythm, and had the beauty of other painters. Everything he painted was exquisite, surpassing many of these masters. Xuanhe's painting book directly praised him as unprecedented and unprecedented.

In his later years, Huang Quan's fame was not much inferior to that of the painting saint Wu Daozi. His paintings can be said to have influenced countless painters in the Northern and Southern Song Dynasties.

If this "Zhong Kui Picture" is truly an authentic work by Huang Quan, it would be worth an absolute sky-high price.

Even the sky-high price among sky-high prices.

However, in Shen Yu's opinion, this painting is very different from Huang Quan's painting style. The possibility that it is Huang Quan's original work is very small and basically impossible.

But since Tang Bo thinks so, Shen Yu can't say no right away.

For people doing business, this is not a smart move.

After pondering for a moment, Shen Yu expressed his point of view, "Uncle Tang, I have taken everything you said into consideration, but now we have to see whose seal it is before we talk about anything else."

Uncle Tang nodded slightly after hearing this, "Then I'll trouble you, Xiao Shen."

Shen Yu studied the seal characters for a long time, and he knew what was written on the seal just by looking at it.

Seal inscription: "Li Xiong's Seal".

"It turns out to be an authentic work by the famous Northern Song Dynasty artist Li Xiong!"

Li Xiong, a great painter in the Northern Song Dynasty, was good at painting Buddhism, Taoism, ghosts and gods. He was stubborn by nature and did not conform to the times.

When Song Taizong Zhao Guangyi was in power, Li Xiong worked at the Royal Painting Academy of the Song Dynasty.

One day, Emperor Taizong of the Song Dynasty suddenly called Li Xiong and ordered him to paint a painting for his fan. The details of what to paint were not mentioned in various documents. Shen Yu guessed that it was most likely to be a landscape painting.

Li Xiong was unwilling to paint, so he rejected it on the spot because he was not good at it, and the scholars he taught could only explain ghosts and gods, even if they were 30 to 50 feet tall.

This means, Your Majesty, if you ask me to draw Taoist immortals, Buddhist Buddhas, or ghosts and gods, I can draw them at thirty feet or fifty feet, but if you ask me to draw landscapes, I can't.

But what kind of temper did Song Taizong have? How dare you not paint when I asked you to paint? He was furious on the spot and turned around to draw his sword and kill Li Xiong.

And Li Xiong doesn’t beg for mercy, he just loves whatever he wants.

Later, after being dissuaded by other ministers, Li Xiongcai escaped death, but was expelled from the art academy.

It is said that after Li Xiong resigned from office, he painted for many famous temples at that time. He painted three paintings on the wall of Longxing Temple. Among them was a mountain ghost holding a giant python. Viewers were often frightened and dared not approach.

A wealthy businessman and a high school student asked Li Xiong to draw a "Picture of Zhong Kui". The painter of that ancient painting exhausted Li Xiong's painting skills, but later his ending was unknown.

"Could it be that this is Li Xiong's "Picture of Zhong Kui"?"