Antiques with golden eyes

Seeing this result, Gu Zhengyan couldn't help but feel a little disappointed.

As a wealthy tycoon, his pursuit of antiques has long gone beyond simple monetary value, and is more about his love and yearning for historical and cultural treasures.

He originally expected that what Ximen Hou brought this time would be some genuine high-end antiques, but he didn't know that it was just a pile of junk.

"Brother Ximen, I wonder if there are any good items?" Although there was still a hint of expectation in Gu Zhengyan's words, his tone was obviously not as eager as before.

Ximen Hou looked embarrassed and said, "Mr. Gu, I disappoint you. I thought that what my nephew brought back from Kyoto were all good things, but who would have thought... Hey, by the way, I have another thing here.

"

As he spoke, he hurriedly took out another item from the brocade box beside him and placed it on several tables.

This is a simple rectangular piece painted with gold and ancient ink.

Not only is the whole body painted with extremely exquisite patterns of landscapes, flowers and birds, but also two lines of long-lasting poetry are carefully carved on both sides of the ink ingot, "The green mountains are together with the clouds and rain, and the bright moon has never been two towns."

Each stroke is penetrating the back of the ink, which contains the profound calligraphy attainments of the ancients.

As if grasping the last straw, Ximen Hou braced himself up and said: "Mr. Gu, this object was not brought back from Kyoto by my nephew. It was accidentally found at an antique market stall when I was visiting friends in the mainland.

income.

"To be honest, I am not very proficient in ancient ink, but I have asked several experts to look at it before, and they all praised it, saying that it is a rare treasure of ink." However, at the end of his words, there was something different in his voice.

Consciously revealing a hint of lack of confidence, his eyes drifted towards Shen Yu inadvertently.

Shen Yu just pretended not to see him and silently picked up the teacup and took a sip of the fragrant tea.

Mr. Wang is a man of culture, and he is particularly interested in objects with profound cultural heritage such as ancient ink. He walked to several cases and his eyes slowly wandered over the ancient ink. Suddenly, there were several seal characters in the lower right corner.

caught his eye.

"Xuanyuan Spiritual Qi? Hey! This is Cheng Junfang's ancient ink!" Mr. Wang couldn't hide the surprise in his voice.

After that, he held the ancient ink in both hands, turning it over and over again as if it were a rare treasure, and continued to say enthusiastically: "The rumors are indeed true! The texture of this ink is as strong as gold, the texture is as delicate as jade, and the color is as rich as lacquer.

The four characters "Xuanyuan Lingqi" clearly engraved on the ink surface are undoubtedly the ancient ink of Cheng Junfang, the master of ink making.

"Cheng Junfang plays an important role in the history of ink making, and his ink making technology is unparalleled. Being able to view this ink is truly a blessing in life."

Lin Qingzhi couldn't help but feel curious after hearing Mr. Wang's conclusion, so he asked: "Old Wang, I heard that ancient ink can be roughly divided into two categories, pine smoke ink and oil smoke ink. Why do these two types of ink have the word 'smoke' in them?"

What about the word '? What's the significance of it?"

Mr. Wang stroked his beard slightly, and a proud smile appeared on his face like an old scholar: "Qingzhi, your knowledge in this area is still a little lacking! There is a relevant explanation in "Tiangong Kaiwu", 'Mo,

It is made by burning smoke and condensing it. This clearly shows that ancient ink was made from the key step of burning smoke.

"Whether it is the smoke produced by the burning of pine branches or pine wood, or the combustion of other substances, it is inseparable from the formation and use of 'smoke', so it is natural to have the word 'smoke'. This small word, in fact, is

It contains the core secret of ancient ink production technology."

Lin Qingzhi nodded thoughtfully, and then asked: "Is this ingot of ancient ink pine smoke ink or oil smoke ink? What is its production cost? Presumably, the production process of such exquisite ancient ink must be extremely complicated and costly.

It won’t be low, right?”

Mr. Wang gently rubbed the ancient ink in his hand, "This is pine smoke ink. It uses pine branches and pine wood as the main raw materials, and is made after carefully firing the smoke materials.

"Speaking of cost, the production process of pine smoke ink is extremely wood-intensive and the process is extremely complicated, so the cost is naturally quite high.

“Even though you may look at such a small piece of ink, the hard work and material resources behind it are unimaginable to us modern people.

“First, you must carefully put selected pine branches into a special kiln, light the flame, and wait patiently for it to burn until you finally get some precious carbon black.

"This is only the first step. Subsequently, various glue substances such as bone glue, turtle glue, cowhide glue, deerskin glue, etc., plus precious Chinese medicines such as pearls, musk, borneol, bezoar, and jade chips must be fully mixed with carbon black.

Blend together and beat repeatedly.

"This beating is not just a few times, but tens of thousands of times.

“Only in this way can the ink be made extremely fine and uniform, and then it can be pressed into a carefully carved ink mold to shape it.

"In this way, a basic ink ingot is initially produced. After it is dehydrated and dried, it can basically be used to grind ink.

“But if you want to make high-quality ink ingots, the process is cumbersome. It is necessary to carve fine and complex decorative patterns and text on the ink surface, which not only requires craftsmen to have exquisite carving skills, but also requires a high artistic aesthetic.

"Even after the carving is completed, gold painting needs to be done. The gold painting on this ink requires a master with extremely high skills to complete it so exquisitely.

"After this series, the cost of making ink is extremely high. According to my estimate, the money spent to make such a high-quality pine smoke ink ingot will probably not be less than forty taels of silver.

"This does not include the huge cost of manpower and time, which shows how precious it is."

After hearing Mr. Wang's detailed explanation, Gu Zhengyan was deeply attracted by the culture and craftsmanship behind this ancient ink, and his interest became even higher. "Old Wang, in ancient times, what was the ranking of this ancient ink among the many stationery supplies?"

?I only know that it is precious, but I don’t know much about its specific status.”

Mr. Wang raised his head slightly, pondered for a moment and then said: "In ancient times, ancient ink did not actually have an absolutely fixed grading system. But generally speaking, the best ink is imperial ink.

This chapter is not finished yet, please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content! "Yu Mo, as the name suggests, is ink specially made for the emperor's use. Its production process can be said to be excellence, and every link pursues ultimate perfection.

"Of course, this imperial ink is not exclusively for use by the emperor himself. In the palace, eunuchs can use it when reviewing memorials, and princes and princesses can also use it when reading and writing.

"Due to its cost-effective production method and extremely high quality requirements, imperial ink is extremely rare in existence, and it is difficult to find it in today's market. If it occasionally appears, it will definitely cause a stir in the ancient ink collection circle.

There was an uproar.

"The second type is handmade ink by famous ink makers. The quality of this type of ink varies. The good ink is comparable to imperial ink, in terms of ink quality, craftsmanship and cultural connotation. It is superior; while the poor ink is comparable to Gong ink.

Slightly inferior.

"The third type is tribute ink. When local officials in ancient times discovered that there were high-quality ink ingots locally, they would select them and send them to the capital for palace use. However, the emperor would not necessarily use these tribute inks himself. Many times

They will be rewarded to members of the royal family or important officials of the court to show the magnanimity of the emperor's favor.

"As for other inks, such as inks produced by some ordinary workshops, their quality, craftsmanship and cultural value are relatively low, and they are often difficult to gain recognition in the collection world. It can be said that they are not on the table."

Gu Zhengyan took the ancient ink and played with it, then slowly turned to Shen Yu and asked, "Xiao Shen, do you think this ancient ink is authentic?"

Shen Yu smiled and said, "Mr. Gu, although it is said that the value of ancient ink depends entirely on its quality. The ancient ink with sufficient materials and good quality is still valuable even if it is not made by a famous artist; on the contrary, even if it is carved

The names of famous ink makers are also worthless.

"But famous ink makers have a great bonus on ancient ink, especially ink masters like Cheng Junfang, who can even increase the price of ancient ink several times!"

After saying that, he took the ink stick handed over by Gu Zhengyan and observed it. He first put the ancient ink under his nose, sniffed it gently, and said after a moment: "This ink has a pure and rich fragrance. It is obviously made according to ancient methods."

of.

"Because a variety of precious medicinal materials are added to ancient ink during the production process, its fragrance should be so light and elegant, and the fragrance of ink will not change over time. This is a very important identification point.

"Because the fragrance of real ancient ink is the result of time and craftsmanship, and cannot be compared with modern chemical fragrances. If it is extremely pungent, it is 100% fake.

“In addition, this ink landscape with flower and bird patterns and text is exquisitely carved with exquisite detail, and every line is smooth and natural, as if the sculptor poured his own emotions into it.

"Judging from the details of these carvings, they are also a powerful reflection of real ink. Whether it is the natural charm of the landscape, the expressions of flowers and birds, or the strokes of the text, they all show extremely high artistic standards and craftsmanship, and are definitely not modern fakes.

Achievable."

"It can be concluded comprehensively that this ink was indeed made by Cheng Junfang.

"Mr. Gu, to be honest, this junior once had such an ancient ink, which was also made by Cheng Junfang, but to be honest, it is not as good as the one of senior Ximen."

Gu Zhengyan finally showed a smile on his face, "I wonder how much your piece of ancient ink sold for, Xiao Shen?"

After hearing this question, everyone present pricked up their ears.

Especially for Ximen Hou, the joints of his clenched hands turned white due to excessive exertion, which shows the degree of tension in his heart.

Without it, Fang Gumo would have become the key to saving his face!

The antiques Ximenting brought back from Kyoto were judged to be fakes before, and he could barely find an excuse to shirk responsibility. But if the ancient ink he brought himself was also judged to be fakes, then he would really become the target of everyone. A laughingstock.

Even if it is a worthless genuine product, it will make him lose face!

Shen Yu replied directly: "Sold for two million!"

The voice was calm and steady, without any show-off or hesitation.

Upon hearing this, Gu Zhengyan made a gesture to Liao Wansan without hesitation, "Wansan, write a check for three million to brother Ximen!"

Liao Wansan nodded slightly, turned and walked to the desk beside him, ready to write a check.

When Ximen Hou heard this result, he breathed a long sigh of relief, and the nervousness on his face gradually faded, "Mr. Gu, it is an honor for this ancient ink to fall into your eyes."

As he spoke, he carefully took the check handed over by Liao Wansan, looked at it carefully, and then carefully put the check into his pocket.

Gu Zhengyan was also very happy. The ancient ink that Mr. Wang was so coveted must be a good thing. When he looked up again, Shen Yu was already holding a colorful chicken cup in his hand.

He quickly thought about the origin of this object in his mind, and after thinking for a moment, he remembered that it should have been placed here by the uncle and nephew of Marquis Ximen yesterday.

Thinking of this, he asked with some confusion: "Xiao Shen, what do you think this fake is doing? I originally planned to let Lao Liao throw it away, but I forgot about it. This kind of fake has no value worth studying. Don't worry about it. It’s a waste of time and energy!”

Unexpectedly, the corners of Shen Yu's lips raised slightly, revealing a smile full of meaning, and he said harmoniously: "Mr. Gu, please do not underestimate this cup. In the opinion of this junior, this cup is most likely a treasure of the Chenghua official kiln. The value it contains is immeasurable, and it is truly worthy of your careful collection.”

Shen Yu's reminder was the limit of what he could do. After all, there were many concerns in it.

First, this chicken vat cup has not yet been purchased by Gu Zhengyan. In terms of ownership rights, it is still in the name of Marquis Ximen.

Secondly, Shen Yu can't tell Gu Zhengyan that this junior has golden eyes for detecting treasures, right?

Gu Zhengyan was startled when he heard this, and then smiled, thinking that Shen Yu was making a joke on him, "Well, since you are so sure, Xiao Shen, that it is genuine and you like it so much, I will give this so-called Chenghua Official Kiln a gift." Here you go! In my eyes, if I can get such professional recognition from you, this cup can be regarded as finding the real Bole."

This chapter is not over yet, please click on the next page to continue reading! Shen Yu shook his head and looked at Ximen Hou, "I really like this cup, but I don't know if senior Ximen is willing to sell it. !This is a precious antique after all, I can’t accept it for no reason.”

Ximenhou didn't dare to interrupt at first. Although the chicken cup belonged to him, he actually didn't need it if he left it in the Gu family. Now after hearing Shen Yu's words, he stepped forward and picked up the other chicken cup.

As soon as I took it, the jerky glaze feeling passed into my hands, and I immediately understood that it was an imitation, but the imitation technology was just a little better! He immediately pretended to be generous and smiled: "What can I sell? Since Mr. Gu has already said that I will give it away. I gave it to you, Xiao Shen, so just keep it!"

Shen Yu showed a trace of solemnity on his face, "Senior Ximen, you are in the antique business, not the manufacturer of these porcelains. Every treasure, whether it is a fake, is collected in real gold and silver, so you still have to pay. "

As he spoke, he calmly took out a brand new wad of cash from his pocket and counted them quickly one by one in front of everyone. After counting, he found exactly 10,000 Hong Kong dollars.

He handed it to Hou Ximen with both hands, "This is 10,000 Hong Kong dollars, which is the money for this junior to buy these two chicken cups. Of course, I know that you are not short of this money, senior Ximen, but friendship is friendship and business is business. I don't want to I've broken the rules of this industry, so I hope you can accept it."

Ximen Hou looked at the cash handed to him with an embarrassed smile on his face. He was actually a little conflicted in his heart. On the one hand, he felt that the cup was a replica and it seemed inappropriate to accept the money in front of Gu Zhengyan.

But on the other hand, I really couldn't bear to refuse this free money.

Although ten thousand yuan is not much, it is still a lot.

After all, money doesn’t come with strong winds!

After hesitating for a moment, he still stretched out his hand, laughed awkwardly and took the cash. His movements were quite neat and neat, without any embarrassment at all. After all, in his eyes, this was a kind of windfall. Why not?

The moment Shen Yu lowered his head, a golden light flashed in his eyes, and he secretly said in his heart: "This treasure belongs to me!"